Hillary Clinton launches campaign in Oakland [View all]

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Last edited Thu Jul 24, 2014, 07:59 PM - Edit history (5)

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched a campaign in Oakland today. But she's not running president -- yet.

This campaign is about promoting an early childhood development program. KGO's Scott Lettieri reports from Children's Hospital Oakland, where Clinton received a very warm welcome.

The project is titled Talking Is Teaching, and it's a joint venture launched by the Clinton Foundation and Too Small to Fail, a San Francisco-based organization that aims improve the health and well-being of America's children ages zero to five.

read: http://www.kgoradio.com/common/page.php?pt=Hillary+Clinton+Launches+Campaign+In+Oakland&id=85103&is_corp=0




Clinton Foundation ‏@ClintonFdn 34m
@HillaryClinton launches #LetsTalkOakland w @2SmallToFail​ to help parents & caregivers talk, read, sing to kids. pic.twitter.com/rG5WHagZFQ




Too Small to Fail @ ‏2SmallToFail 6h
One of our favorite photos from yesterday: @HillaryClinton and little Xochi #LetsTalkOakland pic.twitter.com/pgo9qC0Q9T




Hillary Clinton puts kids in front of politics in Oakland

The multimedia campaign is designed to remind people that "parents are a child's first teachers and the family is the first school," Clinton told a group at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute. If parents take the time to "talk, read and sing to their babies," she said, they can boost their children's chances in school and beyond at little or no cost.

The "Talking is Teaching" campaign will highlight how even the simplest actions, like talking to a baby or youngster as a parent goes about the daily routine at home, can have profound effects on a child's development.

"I could not be more enthusiastic about what's happening here in Oakland," Clinton said. "We want to empower parents to close that (achievement) gap" that often shows up as soon as children from low-income families start school.




Clinton launches Talk, Read, Sing campaign

“Brain research is showing us how important the first years of life are,” Clinton said, “and how much a simple activity can help build brains.”

Oakland will be the second city – the first was Tulsa, Oklahoma – to receive a concentrated dose of messaging about the importance of verbally engaging infants and toddlers. As part of the “Talking is Teaching: Talk Read Sing” campaign, residents can expect a multimedia campaign featuring television commercials, a radio spot, billboards and bus station ads. Local retailer Oaklandish will also be launching a new clothing line for babies that includes onesies that read, “Let’s talk about hands and feet,” and baby blankets proclaiming, “Let’s talk about bedtime.” For every item purchased, Oaklandish will donate one item to a family in need.

A targeted campaign to reach new parents will launch at the Benioff Children’s Hospital and through Kaiser Permanante. Benioff and Kaiser Permanente will distribute the onesies and other materials informing parents about the importance of talking to their children regularly. New parents will also have the opportunity to sign up for a free mobile health service called Text4baby that will send them prompts and information about how to enhance their child’s vocabulary development. The children’s hospital campaign is set to last for three years and will be funded largely by a $3.5 million gift from Lynne and Marc Benioff. The Kaiser campaign is working with the Clinton Global Initiative to provide materials.

Studies have found a gap of 30 million words between the vocabularies of 4-year-old children growing up in low-income homes and those growing up in homes headed by professional, college-educated parents. Clinton pointed out that though gaps are found among families with different income levels, that doesn’t have to be true. Talking and singing to children is free and something all parents can engage in, she said.

However, research has found that many parents from lower-income backgrounds doubt their ability to help their children do well in school, which could lead to lower engagement among parents. Starting school with fewer words sets kids at an immediate disadvantage that can continue throughout their public school careers, according to researchers.

“The word gap leads to the achievement gap,” Clinton said. “We want parents and caregivers to feel that starting today, they can help (their children).”


____ A new campaign from Goodby Silverstein & Partners called "Talking Is Teaching: Talk, Read, Sing" is launching in Oakland. It features a clothing line, designed by GS&P, that will be given away free of charge to new parents.

The campaign, developed for the Bay Area Council, highlights how simple actions done every day from birth—such as describing objects seen during a bus ride, singing songs, reading aloud or telling stories—can significantly improve babies' ability to build vocabulary and can boost their brain development.

The onesies, blankets and other materials will be distributed free of charge at more than 15 locations: Oakland hospitals, pediatric clinics, family playgroups, childcare programs and First 5 Alameda County. The clothing and blankets are all being produced by local clothing retailer Oaklandish.

The campaign also features billboards and bus-shelter ads with prompts like "Let's talk about the bus" that will remind parents that everyday activities are an opportunity to help their child develop.

The idea caught the attention of Too Small to Fail, a joint initiative of Next Generation and the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and they are sponsoring the campaign as well, with plans to make it the model for a national initiative. Other partners include UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland and Kaiser Permanente. Marc Benioff, founder and CEO of Salesforce.com, has donated $3.5 million to develop the campaign in the Oakland community.

watch:

http://toosmall.org.