Calling all dads of young children, birth through 3 years old!
Learn about the important role that dads play in encouraging and supporting their child’s language development, new strategies to promote early brain development, and engaging ways to help prepare your child for kindergarten!
When Steve was first experiencing the joys of being a dad to his twin daughters, he noticed a lack of information and opportunity to learn about early childhood development – specifically how he, as a dad, could be his children’s best assist. As we were delving deeper into early childhood policy and practice, the science of how fathers impact early neurodevelopment was expanding, and we were lucky enough to find others passionate about exploring the issue.
Teaming up with the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health we created Let’s Talk Dads, providing weekly, small group classes in infant and toddler neurodevelopment for fathers. Together, dads learn about brain science, as well as how to be what Steve describes as “our children’s personal neuro-developer,” with practical, easy tools for best practices when they’re with their kids.
Let’s Talk Dads is a live six-week virtual series for dads – some first-timers, some more experienced – of children ages birth through 3 years old (yes, dads of three-year-olds are welcome!) to focus on the critical role that talk and interaction play in a child’s foundational brain development. With an emerging research component led by TMW and facilitation by Southwest Human Development, dads learn to use the 3Ts (Tune In, Talk More, and Take Turns) to help create enriching environments, and build skills and networking support for lasting, generational impact.
Let’s Talk Dads began on Chicago’s South Side in 2019, expanding to Arizona in early 2020 (and hitting our milestone 13th cohort in the summer of 2021), and Brooklyn, New York in 2022. Virtual cohorts are currently meeting; throughout our COVID response, all dads have enjoyed additional weekly one-on-one coaching via Zoom with their facilitators.