INTRODUCTION
Time2Talk2BabyTM is an audio coaching app I am developing that sends parents of 0 – 3 year-olds daily reminders to talk, read, and sing to their child. While talking and reading to babies right from birth is
vitally important to parent-child bonding, infant development, and learning, most parents don't talk enough! That compromises their babies' potential and puts them at risk for delays in development, lack of readiness for kindergarten, and difficulty learning
to read. And, if a child isn't a proficient reader by the end of third grade, they are four times more likely to drop out of high school.
Say something - quick!
Various campaigns are promoting the need to read and talk to babies, but for many parents it isn't as simple as that. If talking to a baby right from birth is not something they have seen others model, they may feel odd or awkward
to talk to a child who is not yet talking. And, what if you don't know what to say? If you're like me, if someone asks me to tell a joke, every single joke I've ever heard flies out of my head - and I just stand there, grasping for words.
Being a new parent is, well, stressful!
It can be the same way for parents who are encouraged to talk to their babies! Combine that with sleep deprivation, stress, uncertainty, and being overwhelmed by the reality of having this tiny new person in their life, and you
can see why parents may struggle with what to say and do. And that's under the best of circumstances, when parents have the security, resources, help, awareness, and understanding of the need to give baby lots of experience with rich verbal stimulation!
That's why they need this app!
Parents who struggle with more than just words . . .
Unfortunately, many parents in the U.S. don't have enough resources, help, awareness, and understanding of what their baby needs. What's more, many have additional factors that diminish the likelihood that they are talking a lot
to their babies. For example, if a parent has one or more of the following characteristics, they definitely need some guidance and encouragement, because the likelihood that they aren't talking much to their baby is VERY, VERY high.
Factors that lessen the chances of a parent giving their baby a rich language environment.
* didn't graduate high school
* has low level reading skills (43% of adults in the U.S. read at the 4th grade level or below!)
* wasn't read to as a child
* is a teen
* a single mother
* suffers from depression
* was raised to believe you don't need to talk to a baby until they start talking
* lives in poverty
Babies born into poverty
Currently, 49% of all 0-3 year olds in the U.S. are born into low income households, which increases their risk of poor development. That's why their parents need this app!
DEVELOPING THE APP
Is it clear yet that I believe ALL parents can benefit from this app? But, here's the problem.
I am a Small Fish in a BIG, BIG Pond
For the past year I have been working on this project: writing, producing, testing, and getting people's input. It took awhile to find the perfect technical person: some folks who were interested didn't have enough experience
in producing apps, and those who did said I was too small a business for their time and so weren't interested. That's why I'm so pleased to have connected with Luke Irvin, of Irvin Media, (www.lukeirvin.com)
based here out of Little Rock, Arkansas. He's young, hungry, talented - and a perfect fit. By the way, a big thanks to the Venture Center (www.venturecenter.co) folks who got us connected.
Moreover, I don't have the backing of Johnson & Johnson like
Text4Baby does, or the Bezos Family Foundation which has created Vroom. (Which by the way, are both text-based apps, and if a parent doesn't read well, they won't get much help from it.)
Anyway, that's why I need YOU.
They Like It, They Like It!
So, how do I know this idea is any good? The pilot test I conducted was very successful. Here's some of the results:
90% of participants found the content to be engaging, easy to do and understand, and - they learned something.
Overall, great feedback and support! Here's some of the things they said about how much it's needed.
This app is something that virtually all parents can benefit from, but it's especially important that new parents who need a little extra support and encouragement have access to it. It's easy, it's fun, and it will be free! Some more thoughts about how
much the pilot participants liked it.
A REWARDING VENTURE
Working on this project has been a rewarding experience. Knowing the need and how significantly this app can help parents and their babies is a reward in itself. (The kudos don't hurt either!) Developing this crowd funding campaign
has also been challenging, humbling, and exciting - all at the same time. Sure, I could have tried to get a loan to cover the cost of the app's production, but this way I have the opportunity to spread the word across the entire world while I'm raising the
money. After all, that's what Words To Grow On and Time2Talk2Baby is all about - making people aware of the need to read and talk and sing to babies right from birth. With a crowd funding campaign I have a global platform to spread the word.
What It Will Take
Plain and simple, creating this app takes money. I'm the creative side, the one who is writing each segment, and doing the recording and editing. Laura McLeane, MD, is a pediatrician who is an advisor to the project, helping
me ensure that all content is age appropriate. Neither of us is receiving any compensation at all. The tipping point for this project is $16,000, which simply covers the cost of writing the app's code, making it compliant with Apple's requirements, and setting
up the server system that will process the messaging output. In other words, $16,000 is the amount being paid to Irvin Media.
We need the entire amount to proceed.
One note as well: $16,000 will only get us the iOS version. To create an app that is compatible for Andoid we will need additional dollars.
Listen Up!
As you are considering the amount you want to help us with, you may want to check out some of the test audio clips we have developed. These were used for the pilot. While the quality of the recording will be upgraded in the future,
you can still get a great idea of what this app can and will do for parents and caregivers. Go to
www.wordstogrowon.com/T2T2B_audioclips.html And, email me with your comments - I would love to hear from you!
Your Rewards!
Contributing to this project will be rewarding to both of us! I guarantee that after reading about this project and watching the video
you will never forget the message that simply talking to a baby can improve their potential in life. And, when you take the next step of participating - at any level - knowing that your advocacy will make a difference for babies,
parents, and the world around you will make you feel good. Because this is a "secret" that must be shared!
First of all,
everyone who participates will have access to the app! Then, depending on your level of support, here is what I will do for you!
$10.00 – a shout out on twitter/facebook/linkedin/pinterest/instagram/ and - or youtube
$25.00 – a shout out, and a personal audio thank you message sent via email
$50.00 – a shout out, an audio thank you, and one use of the LENATM Developmental Snapshot*
$100.00 – a shout out, an audio thank you, and one use of the LENATM Developmental Snapshot* plus your choice of a topic or word of the day which will be included in the app
$250.00 – all of the above, plus your name listed as a contributor on our Time2Talk2Baby webpage
$500.00 – all of the above, plus one use of the LENA Pro System**
$1,000.00 – all of the above, plus your name included as an underwriter in the description on the App Store.
* Intervening early makes all the difference when a developmental delay is suspected. Now you can assess an infant or toddler's language development early and often with this quick and easy Developmental Snapshot and Autism Screen by LENATM
** The LENATM Pro System can record and analyze the language environment that children live and learn in. The more words and interactions a child receives the better, and almost everyone can improve the number of words they use with a child
in a day. The LENATM Pro System gives families objective feedback that has been shown to increase use of language with children by 33% or more.
For more information on LENATM visit our website at
www.wordstogrowon.com/LENA.html or go to
www.LENAFoundation.org to learn how this amazing technology was developed.
Please Consider Supporting This Project!
And, follow us on Twitter: @Time2Talk2Baby - and - @WordsToGrowOn
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wordstogrowon
THANK YOU!
