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Author: Julie Odom

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Coming Soon: APC’s “Feed Me Words!” Campaign

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The Alabama Partnership for Children is partnering with the Georgia Department of Public Health to bring the expertise and resources of the Talk With Me BabyTM initiative to the state of Alabama, and the Feed Me Words campaign will spread public awareness of these resources, as well as the importance of intentional early language and literacy activities for all children.

“Language nutrition” refers to rich language interactions between caregivers and infants and is critical for a child’s socio-emotional and vocabulary development. Remarkably, vocabulary at the age of three is the single strongest predictor of a child’s future literacy and educational success, which has important implications for health and economic outcomes.

2017 TWMB Primary LogoTalk With Me Baby resources provide both visual and written cues, and bright, positive, baby-friendly designs to help bring the message of language nutrition to all families. Talk With Me Baby is reaching caregivers through a variety of media sources and touch points, like print media and resources, digital media, social media, and a comprehensive website.

Click here to browse the Talk With Me Baby resources.

The Alabama Partnership for Children has also partnered with the Atlanta Speech School’s Cox Campus to bring Read Right from the Start to anyone in Alabama working with children from birth to pre-k, who wishes to enhance their skills to help children develop strong language and literacy skills. This research-based professional development program contains interactive, video-based coursework, which is focused on practical strategies teachers can use to promote young children’s language and literacy.

Click here to find out more, and to register for the Read Right from the Start online training program.

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Talk With Me Baby™ and Read Right from the Start are generously supported through funding from the Alabama Department of Human Resources, the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education, and the Alabama Department of Mental Health, and by private funding from the Mike and Gillian Goodrich Foundation, the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, the Protective Life Foundation and the PNC Foundation.

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by Julie Odom Julie Odom No Comments

‘Talk With Me Baby’ in Alabama

Collie Wells
Talk With Me Baby Professional Development Coordinator

 

Alabama is known for lots of things; Auburn and Alabama football, tailgating, hot, humid summers and our Southern hospitality. Wouldn’t it be great if we also became known as a state that successfully embraced the power of early language and literacy? It’s an exciting time in our state with an increased interest in young children and their emotional, physical, and mental health, with an added emphasis on brain development. Many initiatives exist that are making great strides in improving the health and wellness of children.

logo twmbTo assist in that effort, Alabama Partnership for Children is excited about a new program designed to promote babies brain development by building their language skills.  We have partnered with the Georgia Department of Public Health to offer Talk With Me Baby in our state.

Research tells us that the more words a baby hears during the early years of life, the faster they learn to read and write. The basic focus of Talk With Me Baby is to participate in intentional conversations with babies and children. Even a 2-week-old child is communicating with you when he cries to get your attention in order to address his basic needs. The coos and babbling you hear from an infant provide opportunities for a back-and-forth exchange, and lay the foundation for language development.

Talking, reading, playing, singing, and the daily routines of life provide the optimal time to engage in conversation. Look for conversational opportunities throughout the day to talk with your child, such as in the car, on a walk, at the park, at the grocery store, at the doctor, during meal time, during bath time, and at bedtime. You will be building their brain through early talk.

As Donald Woods Winnecott said, "There is no such thing as a baby; there is a baby and someone else."  Whether you are a parent, a grandparent, or a child care provider, you can be that “someone else” who finds those everyday moments to build a baby’s brain.

Click here to find out more about the Talk With Me Baby program in Alabama, and to link to resources on the national Talk With Me Baby website.

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