Community plays important role in preparing our youngest for success

Early in my role as a coordinator of The Basics of Greater Elgin, I met a mom at a mobile food pantry who had her baby in a car seat in the backseat of her car. I asked if she often talked with her little “riding buddy,” and she said no, because her baby didn’t understand yet.

That moment opened the door for a meaningful conversation about how talking to a newborn plays a crucial role in language development. That’s the beauty of The Basics’ Five Principles, they take what might feel complex about early childhood development and turn it into everyday actions that any caregiver can do.

Every family wants the best for their children; sometimes, they just aren’t aware that simple interactions can have a powerful impact on a child’s developing brain. The Basics helps bring the community together, offering support, shared knowledge and ongoing reminders that help caregivers put these practices into action.

The Basics of Greater Elgin, led by Enriching Partnerships for Early Learning, is celebrating its first anniversary at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 24, at the Centre of Elgin, 100 Symphony Way, Elgin. Harvard professor Dr. Ron Ferguson, the creator of The Basics, is our special guest. Please check out our website (enrichingpartnerships.org) to learn more about the event or to register.

Enriching Partnerships for Early Learning has integrated the program’s five principles of brain development into everything we do. Those principles are: Maximize Love, Manage Stress; Talk, Sing and Point; Count, Group and Compare; Explore Through Movement and Play; and Read and Discuss Stories.

The Basics shapes our approach to community and family engagement through programs such as playgroups, Learning on the Go and the early-learning materials we share with families with children ages birth to five.

We are also sharing Basics Insights, a free texting program that sends research-based tips to families, helping them support their young children’s brain development. Today, we have more than 500 families enrolled in Basics Insights. We encourage all families with children under age 4 living within Greater Elgin to enroll.

Our goal with The Basics Greater Elgin is to saturate the community with The Basics’ simple yet powerful practices that help families so every child enters kindergarten ready to thrive.

We are enlisting community partners to help spread the word about The Basics and are providing training to childcare centers, businesses and community organizations. We invite organizations to schedule a session and discover how The Basics can support families they serve.

We are grateful to our community partners who help bring The Basics to families every day. For example, School District U-46 has been instrumental in supporting and sharing The Basics with district families, helping to reinforce early learning. Gail Borden Public Library and Poplar Creek Public Library District have brought the Basics to life through their mobile units, storytimes and community programming. Associates in Pediatrics and Next Generation Pediatrics have shared The Basics with the families they serve, helping caregivers build strong foundations for their children’s growth. And behind the scenes, our Basics launch team continues to ensure these tools reach families across Greater Elgin.

Everyone plays a role in supporting early childhood because a child’s development is shaped by the people, environments and systems around them. Families lay the foundation through everyday moments of care, communication and connection, while early childhood educators and caregivers build on that foundation by creating safe, enriching spaces for learning and growth.

Even businesses and organizations that don’t directly serve children contribute to this ecosystem. Our partners have created engagement stations in places where families gather, such as waiting rooms, offices, banks, car dealerships and Laundromats. These stations are welcoming spaces where families can read or play together with educational toys, creating meaningful learning moments and incorporating The Basics’ principles.

The Basics implementation has been growing steadily over the past year, and we’ve celebrated many successes along the way. However, we are still working toward full community saturation. Our goal is for families to feel supported and equipped no matter where they are in the community, so that every interaction, program and space reinforces the skills and confidence children need to thrive.

By offering family-friendly policies, supporting community initiatives and helping create stable local economies, they play an important role in ensuring children and families have the support they need to thrive.

• Karen Ceballos coordinator for The Basics of Greater Elgin. She can be reached at karenceballos@enrichingpartnerships.org.