The first years

During the first few years of life, a child’s brain builds a foundation for learning that will affect how the child learns to communicate, read, and understand new ideas. But the brain doesn’t do this all on its own. It depends on input from parents and others in the form of focused, loving interactions and conversations.

That’s why Every Child Thrives, a collective impact effort in Wisconsin’s Dodge and Jefferson Counties, has created TalkReadPlay. TalkReadPlay is a community movement designed to strengthen families by promoting quality, positive interactions between parents/caregivers and their young children.

Quality adult-child interactions mean a stronger foundation for learning. When parents talk, read and play more with their babies and young children, they have an enormous positive impact on the brain development, vocabulary growth, school readiness, and future academic success of their children. In other words, how (and how much) parents engage with their children in those early years will impact the child, their schools, and the community for years to come.