Overview of Baby TALK Programs

What is Baby TALK?

Baby TALK's Mission is to positively impact child development and nurture healthy parent-child relationships during the critical early years. Baby TALK collaborates with schools, libraries, hospitals, health clinics and literacy projects. Founded in Decatur, Illinois in 1986, Baby TALK is a national model found in 31 states and Canada. 

In 1995, the local Baby TALK program in Decatur was designated a pilot for the Touchpoints project developed by T. Berry Brazelton and based at the Child Development Unit of Harvard Medical School.

In 1992, Baby TALK was cited by the U.S. Department of Education as one of thirteen programs in the country meeting "Goal One: By the year 2000 all children in America will start school ready to learn."

Baby TALK's Message to parents is that we believe they can give their children a wonderful start in life with an environment of "Language, Literature and Love." Baby TALK establishes relationships with parents to share the task of raising their young children. We provide them with basic child development information as well as suggestions for developmentally appropriate activities. We give them the opportunity to select gift books for their babies. And, of course, we encourage them to read aloud to their children, believing that reading aloud, more than any other single activity, will enhance the parent/child relationship as it encourages the child's cognitive, social and language development.

What does Baby TALK do?

• Serves as a model program which is replicated in over 31 states and Canada
• Provides more than 6000 contacts with parents and children each month in Decatur programs
• Holds weekly Baby TALK Times with parents of children aged birth to three at various community sites
• Teaches parenting classes to teen parents at the high schools and middles schools as well as Boys & Girls Club
• Provides Early Intervention services to infants and toddlers with delays through its innovative STEPS model
• Provides parenting education for low income parents at the health department's well child clinic
• Leads monthly "Family Fun Nights" for local Head Start students and their families
• Meets every new family at the hospitals when they deliver their babies
• Holds "Lapsits" for one to three year olds (and their parents) at the library
• Conducts research on effect of programs
• Provides parenting education for low income parents at various pediatric clinics
• Sends bimonthly newsletters to parents during the first three years of their child's life, using a large volunteer pool to process the mail
• Provides a "Warmline" phone service for parents of children birth to three
• Teaches parenting and read aloud techniques to parents in GED family literacy programs and Even Start
• Provides special prenatal education for low income parents
   

Parenting Programs

Baby TALK provides information on a "just-in-time" basis, so that the information is relevant to the challenges and issues parents are facing with their young children. All parents are invited to call our warmline for advice and questions related to early childhood parenting. We provide topical handouts on parenting concerns such as potty training, self-discipline, sibling rivalry, responding to nightmares and other topics. Parents can receive a parenting newsletter based on the age of their child.

At our web site, we provide links to other parenting resources, and we offer subscriptions and an order form for parents wishing to purchase topical handouts or developmental newsletter.

Building blocks for Parenting

• Warmline
• Parenting Newsletter
• Web Links for Parents
• Why Read to Your Baby?
• Parent's Recommended Books
• Topical Handouts
• Order Form