upWORDS:Baby and upWORDS:Toddler
Texas Children's Hospital Community Benefit Initiative to Educate Families on the Importance of Talk
To your baby’s brain, the most important time in life is before the 3rd birthday. Those first 36 months, while baby’s brain is growing the most, are a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do something wonderful with your child.
Research shows that the most important part of raising smarter, happier babies is talking more with them. It works right from birth – even before the baby understands a single word. Most parents don’t know how much they’re talking with their babies. And almost all parents can do it more!
The upWORDS program, using the LENA Start™ curriculum, consists of 14 one-hour sessions over four months where parents learn how to improve their child's early language. You'll measure progress between sessions with LENA System™ technology, which records speech at home for a day after each class. You'll get reports on how much you’re talking, when you could talk more, and how much you’re growing with your baby.
We’d love for you to be a part of this program that is offered free of charge through a partnership with Kohl's Cares. We are accepting enrollment for new classes throughout the city and space is limited! The program is for parents with children 0-24 months. There will be various locations across the city including Texas Children's Hospital - Main Campus, Texas Children's Hospital - West Campus, Texas Children's - Woodlands Campus, Bracewell Library, and the Southwest Multiservice Center. To be added to the wait list, fill out the online form or email your name, phone number and email address to upWORDS@texaschildrens.org. For questions, contact us at 832-227-1828.
Materials available in English and Spanish.
Check out our blog posts/news regarding upWORDS
- Parents gain confidence, skills, and awareness through LENA Start classes (06/13/18)
- Talking tips for you and your baby (04/25/18)
- Knowledge is power (03/16/18)