An adult and child stand outside in front of a panel with a variety of "under the sea" themed prompts for reading and talking
Programs / Education & Health Equity

Too Small to Fail

Surrounding families with early language and learning opportunities and partnering to prepare young children for success in kindergarten and beyond

An adult and child stand outside in front of a panel with a variety of "under the sea" themed prompts for reading and talking

Too Small to Fail and Born This Way Foundation are proud to share this “Let’s Share Kindness” toolkit to help families create a culture of kindness — both at home and in their neighborhoods.

The Challenge

Today, almost 60 percent of children in the United States start kindergarten unprepared, lagging behind their peers, in critical language and reading skills.

Our mission

We envision a world where all families have access to high-quality early learning resources, every community is filled with spaces for young children to thrive, and all parents and caregivers engage in language-rich interactions with their children.

Too Small to Fail, the early childhood initiative of the Clinton Foundation, surrounds families with early language and learning opportunities, and supports parents and caregivers with resources to talk, read, and sing with young children from birth to help prepare them for success in kindergarten and beyond.

In Photos: Too Small to Fail

President Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton pose for a photo with families.
An adult and child read a book together
An adult and child stand holding books
An adult and child look at a panel that says "Let's talk about hands and feet" and which contains various illustrations and prompts for reading and talking
Chelsea Clinton and a child read a book together
Dr. Neeti Doshi holds an infant
Chelsea Clinton with a group of judges. Most are wearing black robes.
A subway ad featuring illustrations and conversations prompt. In the middle it says, "Let's talk about the city" and "Talk. Read. Sing. Everyday."
President Clinton reads a book to a group of children.
Secretary Clinton sits with a group of students in a classroom.
Chelsea Clinton kneels down to shake the hand of a child
Chelsea Clinton and a panel seated onstage during event
A young child smiles standing on a playground
President Clinton speaks with an adult and child in a library. The child holds a children's book.
Adult and child
Secretary Hillary Clinton holds a book in front of a class of students
Signage at grocery store
Chelsea Clinton and Elmo
A group of children reach their arms above their heads
Hillary Clinton and a group of adults and children. Several are holding children's books.
An adult in a wheelchair and a child look at a panel which features illustrations and conversation prompts
Chelsea Clinton and a group including medical professionals wearing white coats
President Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton visit a new “Family Read, Play & Learn” space at Wash World Laundromat in New Orleans. (2019)

APPROACH

Through national and community-based partnerships, Too Small to Fail meets parents where they are to help prepare children for success in school and beyond. Whether at the pediatrician’s office or the playground, Too Small to Fail aims to make small moments big by creating opportunities for meaningful interactions anytime, anywhere.

Meet our team
  • 1

    Activate

    We forge unlikely partnerships across sectors and communities, bringing together networks and organizations to surround families with early learning opportunities. Learn more >

  • 2

    Innovate

    From laundromats to playgrounds, pediatric clinics to family courts, we’ve developed new and unconventional ways to transform everyday places into language-rich spaces for children and families. Learn more >

  • 3

    Communicate

    We leverage popular media and the power of storytelling to raise awareness about the importance of language-rich parenting and shift cultural norms about talking, reading and singing with infants and toddlers. Learn more >

  • 4

    Evaluate

    We invest in research and evaluation to measure the impact of our work and identify opportunities to refine, strengthen, and share our program models. Learn more >

DONATE TO TOO SMALL TO FAIL

Your gift will help prepare children for success in school and beyond. With your gift, we can better support parents with tools to talk, read, and sing with their young children from birth.

Donate Now

Partners

Partnerships are the cornerstone of our work. We’re so proud to collaborate with our diverse network of organizations, companies and institutions committed to supporting parents and giving every child the strongest possible start in life. These include:

  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • Born This Way Foundation
  • Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
  • Carnegie Hall
  • Coin Laundry Association
  • Houghton Mifflin
  • Harcourt
  • Inclusion Matters by Shane’s Inspiration
  • KABOOM!
  • Landscape Structures
  • Lakeshore Learning
  • National Black Child Development Institute
  • National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges
  • National Diaper Bank Network
  • National Head Start Association
  • Penguin Young Readers
  • Readers to Eaters
  • Reach Out and Read
  • Scholastic
  • Sesame Workshop
  • Univision

Parents & Caregivers

When you talk, read, and sing with your child — even before they can use words — you’re building their brain and helping to prepare them for success in school and in life. But it may not always be easy to talk to babies, especially when they can’t talk back. To help, we’ve pulled fun tips and resources grounded in the best science, to help you talk, read, and sing with your child every day.

Visit TalkingIsTeaching.org

Childcare Providers

The STRIVE for 5! Early Childhood Educator Bootcamp is a hands-on program designed to give you instant tools and ideas to promote children’s early brain and language development and improve the quality of your early learning environment. We designed the program so that it is easy to use – everything is in one place, and you’ll have direct access to a great support system to ensure your success. Sign up below to get access to the program and start learning today!

Sign Up for StriveFor5

Community Leaders

Interested in starting a “Talking is Teaching: Talk, Read, Sing” campaign or enhancing an existing early brain and language development effort somewhere in your community? Sign up to access our Talking is Teaching Communities website, with lessons learned from our local campaigns, information on our place-based strategies, creative assets, training materials, tips for parents, research and more. We hope these resources will serve you well, and are truly grateful to you for joining this effort.

Learn More

  • Parents

    If you’re a parent, then you can start using our resources today. Learn more.

  • Advocates

    If you’re a trusted voice in your community, then find out how you can be an advocate for families. Email us for more information.

  • Community Leaders

    If you want to create more of these moments in your community, then contact us to see how to build a campaign to engage the people needed to make it happen. Learn more.

  • Donors

    If you want to create more of these moments across the country, then fund the tools and materials that families, communities and places use to make them happen.

  • Storytellers

    If you want to capture and share these moments through your own storytelling, then talk to us about incorporating Too Small to Fail messages into your content. Email us for more information.

Our Impact

At the Clinton Foundation, we believe data should be used to guide how programs are designed and implemented. We leverage both quantitative and qualitative information in order to promote evidence-based decision-making and help the Foundation and our community of partners achieve greater results in people’s lives across the country and around the world.

  • 1.2M

    children's books

    donated and provided to families in communities that are under-resourced through Too Small to Fail.

  • 175K+

    parents reached

    with helpful text message reminders and tips for talking, reading, and singing with young children during everyday routines.

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