What Could We Be Doing Differently?

What could we be doing differently? What could we do to be smarter?  These questions are at the heart of a 5- minute video titled “Building Adult Capabilities to Improve Child Outcomes: A Theory of Change”.  This short video, narrated by Jack Shonkoff, MD, explains the Frontiers of Innovation community’s theory of change for improving outcomes for children and families. It describes the importance of building the skills and capacities of the adults (i.e. parents and caregivers) in a child’s life and strengthening the communities that together form the environment of relationships essential to children’s lifelong learning, health, and behavior.

The For Our Babies campaign similarly advocates for policies that will help support the adults in a baby’s life thereby increasing the likelihood of positive outcomes for everyone, including the baby. For example, the For Our Babies campaign advocates for: affordable prenatal care for all expectant mothers;  home visits for all families during the first two years of life by professionals who are trained in parenting, healthy development and counseling; paid parental leave during the first nine months of their child’s life; and affordable high quality infant and toddler care including training, compensation and professional stature for infant and toddler teachers at the same level as K-12 teachers. To quote the video “It’s all about being able to plan for the future…to have a future. That’s why this is so important.”

Click here to watch the video on Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child’s website.