Resources
In her 2015 best-seller, Dr. Dana Suskind distills the science of early language acquisition and brain development and explains to readers the incredible importance of adult-child interaction.
In this paper, we use a longitudinal field experiment with 953 children and their parents to investigate whether there are differences in parental investments at early ages by child gender.
This study provides a theoretical lens to deepen our understanding of the science of how to use science.
TMW Center Co-Director Dana Suskind kicks off the Rohit and Harvanit Kumar Conference on the Economics of Early Childhood Education: Leveraging the Healthcare System to Impact Educational Disparities.
Think of your child’s brain like a piggy bank. Every word you say is a coin in the bank. The more you talk, the richer your child’s brain gets. The more you invest now, the richer your child will be later.
There is no limit to how many words you can add to your child’s bank, so look for opportunities to talk and interact throughout your day.
Children’s brains are like sponges, absorbing everything going on around them. Every little thing they soak in builds connections in their brain.
The stronger your child’s brain connections grow, the easier time they’ll have thinking and talking, and the smarter they’ll become.
A website dedicated to the ideas in Dr. Suskind’s book, “Parent Nation.” We’re bringing those ideas to life by Building a Parent Nation.
Diane Alexander, Jocelyn Guyer, and Donna Cohen Ross discuss “Understanding the U.S. Healthcare System: Incentives, motivations and opportunities.”
Rahil Briggs and Allison Metz discuss “Principles of Implementation Science: HealthySteps as a model and case study.”
Amanda Feinstein, Perri Klass, Dayna Long, and Alan Mendelsohn discuss “What we can learn from current approaches that leverage the healthcare system to improve child outcomes” in with discussion moderated by Marc Hernandez.
Nobel Laureate James Heckman discusses “Impacts of Early Childhood on Health and Life Outcomes.”
TMW Center’s John List gives closing remarks at the Center’s Rohit and Harvanit Kumar Conference on the Economics of Early Childhood Education: Leveraging the Healthcare System to Impact Educational Disparities.
On June 17, Governance Studies at Brookings and the University of Chicago’s TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health and Griffin Applied Economics Incubator cohosted a discussion among experts to help unpack scalability in policymaking.
Panelists identified threats to scalability, discussed the “science of scaling,” and offered recommendations to help professionals consider scalability in their own decision-making.
In this study, we use a large-scale incentivized experiment with nearly 1,300 participants to show that the gender gap in spatial abilities, measured by time to solve a puzzle, disappears when we move to a matrilineal society.
This exploratory pilot study evaluates the feasibility and efficacy of a novel behavior-change strategy, quantitative linguistic feedback, to influence adult linguistic behavior and, as a result, a child’s early language environment.
This article explores the efficacy of parent-directed interventions and their potential applicability to the wider educational achievement gap seen in typically developing populations of low socioeconomic status.
The current study examined the role of early theory of mind and executive functioning in facilitating sharing in a large sample (N = 98) of preschoolers.
A randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate whether the intervention improved parents’ knowledge of child language development and increased the amount and diversity of parent talk.
Through a series of field experiments involving thousands of primary and secondary school students, we demonstrate the power of behavioral economics to influence educational performance.
In this study, we detail the use of formative testing to inform the development of a curriculum designed to support the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS).
Economists often conduct experiments that demonstrate the benefits to individuals of modifying their behavior, such as using a new production process at work or investing in energy saving technologies.
This paper provides an overview of the main reasons for a breakdown in scalability.
This study reported the development and initial validation of the Survey of Parent/Provider Expectations and Knowledge (SPEAK), a self-administered questionnaire assessing expectations and knowledge about early childhood cognitive and language development.
In this study, we combine behavioral economics with field experiments to reimagine a new model of early childhood education.
By elevating “talk, read, and sing” to the top of the newborn discharge list, future pediatricians will be ensuring that healthy brain development is the standard of care for all children.
This study evaluated the efficacy of the six-month 3Ts Home Visiting (3Ts-HV) curriculum, designed to empower socioeconomically disadvantaged caregivers with evidence-based knowledge and strategies.
We investigate whether this might reflect not only differences in ability but also differences in effort on the test.
Leveraging the economic framework of Al-Ubaydli et al. (2019), we put forward 12 simple proposals, spanning researchers, policymakers, funders and stakeholders, which together tackle the most vexing scalability threats.
This study sheds light on the importance of promoting parental knowledge about cognitive and language development to foster parental cognitive stimulations and language inputs during the first year of life.
We present results from the first study to examine the causal impact of early-childhood education on the social preferences of children.
This critical volume combines theoretical and empirical work across disciplines to explore what threatens scalability—and what enables it—in the early childhood field.
Socioeconomic gaps in child development open up early, with associated disparities in parental investments in children. Understanding the drivers of these disparities is key to designing effective policies.
The current efficacy study tested the hypothesis that quantity of math talk among low-SES caregivers and children is increased via a caregiver education curriculum aimed at improving caregivers’ language input to children.
This article describes a randomized field experiment in which parents were provided financial incentives to engage in behaviors designed to increase early childhood cognitive and executive function skills through a parent academy.
The goal of this report is to provide empirical evidence on: the status of the early language gap in the United States, predictors and consequences of that gap, interventions designed to close the gap, and remaining issues that need to be explored.
This white paper describes a multi-tiered set of interventions pitched at the population, community, and individual levels.
TMW has conducted eleven randomized control trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental trials.
This animated video illustrates why an intervention might have less of an impact when it is scaled-up from a research setting to the real world.
The objective of this study is to determine the efficacy of an interactive, home visiting curriculum tailored to low socio‐economic status families in improving parental knowledge of paediatric nutrition and healthy lifestyle.
Be it a medical breakthrough, a policy initiative, a product innovation or a social movement, translating an idea into widespread impact depends on one thing only: whether it can be replicated at scale.
Dr. Dana Suskind offers a revelatory new look at the neuroscience of early childhood development—and how it can guide us toward a future in which every child has the opportunity to fulfill their potential.
Professor Drew Bailey of the University of California, Irvine visits the Griffin Applied Economics Incubator at the University of Chicago and discusses the science of scaling in early childhood.
Professor Elizabeth Spelke of Harvard University visits the Griffin Applied Economics Incubator at the University of Chicago and discusses the science of scaling in early childhood.
Professor Zacharias Maniadis of the University of Southampton visits the Griffin Applied Economics Incubator at the University of Chicago and discusses the science of scaling in early childhood.
Professor Scott McConnell of the University of Minnesota visits the Griffin Applied Economics Incubator at the University of Chicago and discusses the science of scaling in early childhood.
Professor Kjell Salvanes of the Norwegian School of Economics visits the Griffin Applied Economics Incubator at the University of Chicago and discusses the science of scaling in early childhood.
Professor Anya Samek of the University of Southern California visits the Griffin Applied Economics Incubator at the University of Chicago and discusses the science of scaling in early childhood.
A total of 427 women (aged 18-45 years) who delivered a singleton neonate without serious medical complications were randomized to watch either an educational intervention or the sudden infant death syndrome video.
Erika, a TMW Center program participant, discusses the ways the 3Ts have helped her prepare her young son for a lifetime of learning.
Jonathon, a TMW Center program participant, explains why he feels like a “proud father” when he uses the 3Ts to engage with his kids.
Jackie, a TMW Center program participant, discusses the power of sharing what she’s learned from the TMW Center with other parents in her life.
Dina, a TMW Center program participant, explains why she thinks “talking more to your child will change the world.”
Dr. Dana Suskind discusses TMW Center research that reveals what parents know about early childhood development, and their role in promoting that development, impacts their behavior.
The TMW Center speaks with early childhood stakeholders.
This video offers a real-life example of a caregiver reinforcing a toddler’s good behavior: waiting patiently!
This video offers a real-life example of what book sharing with a baby looks like!
This video offers a real-life example of what book sharing with a baby looks like!
This video offers a real-life example of what book sharing with a two- or three-year-old looks like!
This video offers a real-life example of what book sharing with a toddler looks like!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Describing” looks like with a baby!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Describing” looks like with a two- or three-year-old!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Describing” looks like with a toddler!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Explaining” looks like with a toddler!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Math Talk” looks like with a toddler!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Math Talk” looks like with a toddler!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Explaining” looks like with a two- or three-year old!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Math Talk” looks like with a baby!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Math Talk” looks like with a two- or three-year old!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Narrating” looks like with a toddler!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Narrating” looks like with a two- or three-year old!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Reinforcing” looks like with a baby!
This video offers a real-life example of what the 3Ts strategy of “Reinforcing” looks like with a two- or three-year old!
This animated video offers tips for how early childhood educators can Tune In, Talk More, and Take Turns with the children they care for.
This video shows what it looks like to “catch your child being good,” which can help reinforce positive behavior and strengthen neural connections.
Participants from our Let’s Talk Dads program discuss how the program helped them connect with their children and foster healthy brain development.
This video offers a real-life example of a mom using the 3Ts to narrate an everyday event: getting baby dressed!
This video explains how early experiences, particularly nurturing talk and interaction, help promote brain development.
Reading with a little one can be tricky, but when you use the 3Ts to book share, your child is more likely to stay engaged. It’s all about tuning in to what they’re interested in—not trying to read every word on the page!
This video offers a real-life example of a dad using the 3Ts to explain an everyday event: tying his toddler’s shoes!
NBA All-Star and TMW Center supporter Steve Nash talks about the importance of the first five years of life and the work his foundation does to help foster healthy brain development.
This video shows what you can expect when you visit our free website, the3ts.org.
This video introduces and explains the 3Ts in Haitian Creole. We are proud to offer resources in several languages.
This video offers a real-life example of how a toddler responds positively to her caregiver putting away their phone!
This video offers a real-life example of how a preschooler responds positively to her caregiver putting away their tablet!
This video offers a real-life example of how an infant responds positively to his mom putting away their phone!
We have designed an interactive website for parents and caregivers aimed at supporting their efforts to foster early brain development in their children.
This report explores a critical missing link in the evidence-based policymaking process: understanding how to scale evidence-based programs. It offers recommendations for using the science of scaling to achieve impact at scale.
This randomized controlled trial showed that video-based anticipatory guidance implemented at well-child visits in the first six months increased knowledge of early cognitive and language development.
We start in this issue with a snapshot of some intriguing research out of the McGovern Institute at MIT, which beautifully links the role of conversation with brain activation and child outcomes.
Announcing a new community partner to lay the foundation for our community-wide roll out and our first convening on the role of the healthcare sector in intervening early.
Wrapping our first conference—Leveraging the Healthcare System to Impact Educational Disparities—and rethinking how pediatrics can better support parents.
Building an early learning culture in pediatric settings, thoughts on an ideal early learning system, new online parent and caregiver resource.
TMW-Home Visiting: A sneak peek at new findings, in the news, translating research into real-world practice in early childhood.
Spanish home visiting wrap up, the Incubator begins, and Any Time is 3Ts Time.
COVID-19 update, Spring 2020 at the TMW Center, and family resources.
Griffin Applied Economics Incubator, Summer 2020, and diversity, equity, and inclusion at the TMW Center.
What we’re reading, early childhood educators’ commitment on display, and St. Louis families embrace their power to build kids’ brains with the 3Ts.
What we’re reading, our book on scaling is off to the presses, 3Ts-Let’s Talk Dads continues in Phoenix, and Dr. Suskind on “The Invisible Toll of Mass Incarceration on Childhood Development”
Any Time is 3Ts Time in the spotlight, what parents know matters, and A Good Time to be Born book talk with Dr. Perri Klass.
TMW Center’s 2020 by the numbers and end of year remarks from Dr. Suskind.
What we’re reading, a special journal issue built around the TMW Center’s work, the TMW Center at ASSA 2021, and how the gig economy puts children’s development at risk and what we can do about it.
3Ts-Let’s Talk Dads continues in Phoenix, 3Ts-Let’s Talk launching in Dallas, and we’re hiring!
Yolie Flores joins the TMW Center as National Campaign Director of Parent Nation.
Launching our first Let’s Talk Spanish-language groups, elevating the science of scaling, and what we’re reading and listening to.
Science of scaling updates, 3Ts-Let’s Talk in the news, and TMW Center is now on Instagram!
The TMW Center is excited to announce the latest book from our founder and co-director Dana Suskind.
New TMW Center research published in Nature Communications, congrats to our 3Ts-Let’s Talk Dads graduates, and TMW Center leadership in the media.
Updates on the forthcoming Parent Nation, TMW Center by the numbers 2021, and what we’re reading.
New TMW Center research published in Child & Youth Care Forum.
Parent Nation hits bookshelves, New TMW Center study published in The Journal of Pediatrics, and TMW Center in the news.
Parent Nation is a bestseller, TMW Center study among the most-read in Nature Communications, we’re hiring, and more!
Engaging the Pediatric Sector in Akron, OH, What Parents Know Matters, and more!
This randomized controlled trial examined whether the quantity and quality of maternal language input were increased through the 3Ts Home Visiting (3Ts-HV) intervention early in toddlerhood.
TMW Center in Aspen & Australia, PNC Partnership, and More!
TMW Center Helps Guide Public Discourse and Public Policy
This study explores a new potential mechanism for gender gaps in parental investments: differences in beliefs between fathers and mothers of young children.
Paper describes the use of human-centered design to create a novel tool to help health providers offer guidance on early cognitive and language development during well-child visits.
This study offers evidence to show that PCI audiologists note an SES-related disparity in the field of PCI.
Dana Suskind in the Wall Street Journal, Welcoming Dr. Truelove-Walker & more