Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former first lady and U.S. Secretary of State, is partnering with Univision Communications Inc., in an effort to help close the so-called word gap between poor children and their wealthier, wealthier peers.
The American Spanish-language media company, headquartered in New York City, will offer multi-year financial support to Too Small to Fail, a joint initiative of San Francisco-based Next Generation and the New York-based Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, as well as educational materials for families on its website and at special events in cities around the U.S.
Research has found that by age 3, children in middle- and upper-middle-class families have heard 15 million more words than those in working-class families. The number of words to which young children are exposed which is directly correlated to literacy.
Moreover, only 48 percent of poor children born in 2001 started school ready to learn, compared with 75 percent of children from middle-class families, campaign literature states.
“Hispanics represent the fastest-growing population in the United States, and the decisions parents and caregivers make today will influence their children’s futures and the future of our country for years to come,” said Patti Miller, director of Too Small to Fail for the Clinton Foundation.
Univision will feature early-childhood education segments on many of its television shows and devote a section of its website to news on the subject. Content is provided by Too Small to Fail and its partners.
To read about the initial kick-off of the Too Small to Fail initiative launched in October, click here.