TMW Center Newsletter July 2024

New Research

The TMW Center’s latest study, a randomized control trial authored by Director of Research Christy Leung and Center Co-Director Dana Suskind, is available now in the Journal of Academic Pediatrics.

The study examines the long-term impact of our 3Ts-Home Visiting intervention on preschool-aged children’s language skills. Parent-toddler pairs were randomly assigned to receive the 3Ts intervention—which is designed to help parents understand and enhance their child’s foundational brain development through talk and interaction—or to receive an intervention about healthy nutrition. Participants received the assigned intervention while their children were 14-20 months old.

Results from the RCT indicate that the 3Ts Home Visiting intervention increased parental knowledge of child development, contributed to more frequent parent-child conversational turns (even 18 months after the intervention concluded), and led to stronger language skills when participants reached preschool age.

This study provides empirical evidence supporting the TMW Center’s theory of change: increasing parental knowledge leads to more enriching parent-child interactions, which promotes children’s skill development. It is the latest in a series of research to underscore the importance of supporting and empowering parents in order to promote equity in children’s early language experiences and narrow disparities in children’s developmental outcomes.

Updated 3Ts-Early Childhood Educator course now available

Our popular online course for early childhood educators has been revised and refreshed! Of course, the 3Ts—Tune In, Talk More, and Take Turns—remain at the heart of the program. The 3Ts have proven time and again to be a simple, yet powerful teaching tool to help anyone make the most of their talk and interaction with children.

The 3Ts-Early Childhood Educator Course is a self-paced, online program that teaches educators how to use 3Ts strategies with groups of children, especially ages 0-3. All types of educators and caregivers are invited to enroll for free at the3ts.org.

More

Read the rest of the October 2024 newsletter here.