Too Small to Fail (TSTF), Gerber, Scholastic, and the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) commit to educate and inform parents about the importance of combining good nutrition with activities to support childrens early brain and language development. The partners will distribute 100,000 copies of a bilingual (English/Spanish) nutrition-themed childrens book, At the Farmers Market, to underserved families nationwide over a one-year period. Scholastic also commits to developing and printing a supplemental tip sheet designed to equip community providers with talking points and activity ideas to support families learning through the book.
Gerber is providing the funding for the colorful and engaging Scholastic At the Farmers Market books, which will be co-branded and include customized messages on the back cover to help families engage in language-rich interactions about healthy foods during everyday moments and promote mealtime conversations.
NBCDI will distribute these books through their affiliate networks across the U.S. and incorporate the books into NBCDIs Good for Me nutrition education program for young children. TSTF plans to distribute the books and tip sheets through its local city campaigns in Oakland, Tulsa, Miami, and other communities. The commitment partners will also collaborate with the nonprofit organization Barbershop Books to distribute additional copies of At the Farmers Market to young children and families through its reading spaces built into a growing network of barbershops across the country. The commitment partners intend to distribute one book per parent per household.
Partners will also utilize social media to extend the reach of this commitment to additional families. Scholastic will promote the At the Farmers Market parent tip sheet and the Meal Time is Talk Time messages through an extensive tips campaign among its 925,000 Facebook fans. Scholastic will further promote this content on Scholastics parent website which sees an average of 850,000 to 1.2 million visitors per month and through its 200,000 newsletter subscribers. Similarly, Gerber will work with TSTF to develop a series of targeted tips and messages to share through its MyGerber.com website, as well as its social media channels which reach more than 7 million followers.
Additionally, TSTF and Spotify are partnering to encourage parents to sing with their kids during everyday moments. Gerber commits to collaborate with TSTF and Spotify on creating a Meal Time is Talk Time themed playlist of songs emphasizing nutritious foods, healthy eating habits, and family mealtimes as well as to promote this playlist through its social media channels and other online communications platforms.
The commitment partners will actively monitor click-through rates and other access measures. TSTF and NBCDI will survey parents and caregivers about the usage, appeal, and effectiveness of the At the Farmers Market book and overall Meal Time is Talk Time messaging.
June 2016 September 2016
- Scholastic manufactures customized At the Farmers Market books
- TSTF and Scholastic develop the At the Farmers Market provider tip sheet
- TSTF, Gerber, and Spotify create the Meal Time is Talk Time audio playlist
October 2016 December 2016
- TSTF and NBCDI distribute the At the Farmers Market books and provider tip sheets at the NBCDI annual conference from October 1-4 in Orlando, Florida
- Commitment partners launch Meal Time is Talk Time social media campaign through TSTFs, Gerbers, and Scholastics channels
- Scholastic begins shipping books to NBCDIs affiliate networks across the country, Barbershop Books, and TSTFs local city campaign partners
January 2017 March 2017
- Commitment partners continue distribution of additional At the Farmers Market books and tip sheets
- Commitment partners work collaboratively to continue cross-promoting the Meal Time is Talk Time message through their social media and other communications channels
April 2017 June 2017
- Scholastic ships final quantities of At the Farmers Market books and tip sheets through partner organizations
- Commitment partners work collaboratively to continue cross-promoting the Meal Time is Talk Time message through their social media and other communications channels
Almost 60 percent of American children start kindergarten unprepared, lagging behind their peers in critical language, math, and social-emotional skills. Research shows that simple, everyday interactions with young children such as describing objects seen during a walk or bus ride, singing songs, or telling stories can build their vocabularies, prepare them for school, and lay a strong foundation for lifelong learning. In fact, the first three years of life are the most critical for vocabulary development because the brain is best able to absorb language during this period. Early language development is also a strong predictor of future critical developmental milestones including school readiness and reading at grade level in third grade. Recent studies show that both the amount and quality of communication between children and their parents and caregivers are critical to building childrens language skills during the early years.
Additionally, research indicates that the most effective way to improve low-income childrens reading achievement levels is to increase their access to books. Yet there is a dearth of childrens books in low-income households. For instance, studies show that in some low-income communities, there is only one book for every 300 children, while in middle-income neighborhoods there are 13 books per child.
This new collaboration will reinforce the message that talking is teaching and that simple actions like talking, reading, and singing are critical to early brain development. The partners will promote the message that Meal Time is Talk Time, reminding parents that everyday moments from grocery shopping to meal and snack times can become meaningful moments to engage in language-rich conversations with their children.
