Endorsements & Testimonials
Featured Story
From the director of a local backbone organization
The Basics Principles have truly shifted the culture of how our community views early learning. Through partnerships with hospitals, childcare centers, libraries, and faith-based organizations, The Basics Waccamaw has created a common language for supporting children from birth to age five.
The Basics Learning Network has been invaluable in providing national guidance, tools, and shared learning that help us strengthen local implementation. Our participation has allowed us to connect evidence-based practices to real families in rural and coastal South Carolina, where resources are often limited but community spirit is strong.
Richard Williams, Jr.
Director of The Basics Waccamaw, United Way of Horry County, SC
Endorsements from National Leaders
Geoffrey Canada
President, Harlem Children’s Zone
“HCZ Baby College has been using The Basics for years now. Our staff tells me that it really works for helping parents understand how to reinforce at home what we do at Baby College.”
Joshua Sparrow, MD
Executive Director, Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Boston Children’s Hospital
“I am a big fan of The Basics model. I love what the organization is doing in Boston and around the nation to help communities enrich how families support early learning and brain development.”
Eric Dearing, PhD
Executive Director, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College
“The Basics team has the same commitment to use research for the enrichment of children's lives that we have at the Walsh Center. I am excited to be a collaborator in making a positive difference.”
Shari Nethersole, MD
Vice President for Community Health and Engagement, Boston Children’s Hospital
“The Basics Principles help young children to grow and thrive. Boston Children’s Hospital is proud to support The Basics in Boston in bringing these Principles to places where young children and their caregivers live, learn, and play. All five Principles, every child, every day.”
Ralph Smith
Founding Managing Director, Campaign for Grade Level Reading
“The Basics is an important CGLR partner. Its powerful framework and practical parent-centered tools combine to make The Basics a welcome and valued resource for our nationwide network of local stakeholder coalitions.”
Rob Watson
Executive Director, EdRedesign Lab, Harvard Graduate School of Education
“For place-based initiatives, The Basics model provides a science-based framework, technical support, and thoughtful tools so that communities don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Personally, I’ve benefited from The Basics Principles and texts with my own child (who is now 4) since she was born.”
Tassy Warren
Co-Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University
“We know that the environment and relationships that surround young children in the earliest years shape their development. The Basics puts that into action with their approach to raising awareness and capacity throughout the community and surrounding parents and caregivers with strategies and resources they can use.”
David W. Willis, MD
Professor, Georgetown University; Director, Nurture Connection; Lead author, Early Relational Health: Building Foundations for Child, Family, and Community Well-Being (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2025)
“I attended The Basics national conference two years ago and was delighted to see how so many communities blend ‘Maximize Love, Manage Stress’ and the other Basics Principles into cross-sector support for science-informed early caregiving—Early Relational Health in action! Observing the Basics Learning Network that day deepened my conviction that we are in a moment when a national movement is a realistic vision. I am excited that our collective work is in ascendance”.
Themes from the Annual Survey of Frontline Partner Organizations
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Incorporating The Basics into Existing Services
A number of respondents talked about the simplicity of incorporating The Basics into existing programming and services for families, such as home visits, playgroups, pediatric well visits, library story times, and others.
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Strengths-Based Approach
Respondents described The Basics as a strengths-based approach that validates parents’ natural inclinations. Parents and caregivers feel less overwhelmed and more receptive when they recognize that the Principles reflect everyday strategies that they may already be doing. Learning the Principles allows them to be more intentional when they interact with their children.
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Basics Insights Text Messaging
Parents find the messages accessible and easy to integrate into what they are already doing. In addition, the messages are helpful conversation prompts for provider support: providers ask parents about the messages they have received and how they have been using them.
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Playgroups and Workshops
Workshops, playgroups, and story times have been powerful for sharing about The Principles and promoting connections between caregivers, with respondents noting high attendance and excitement among participants.
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Partnerships
Backbone and frontline partners emphasized the importance of strong partnerships and collaboration. Backbones support partner organizations in a variety of ways, including through training, regular distribution of materials, and by helping to co-develop innovative strategies for reaching families. They also play a key role in fostering cross-organizational connections and alignment within the community.
For example, “Many people in our community were not previously aware of our organization, and through our collaboration with The Basics, we've seen increased visibility. … This partnership has been a valuable way to expand our impact.”
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Community Outreach and Engagement
Respondents reported success promoting The Basics at community events—such as community baby showers—by distributing materials and activity kits to raise awareness and engage parents.
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Messaging and Materials
Respondents view The Basics messaging as straightforward, easy to understand, and accessible for families. Many highlighted the usefulness of specific materials, especially magnets, postcards, tip sheets and video books, as well as items like posters, calendars, and activity kits. Availability in multiple languages has proven important.
One respondent shared: “They are easy and natural to talk about in a conversation with parents, even if it's a short conversation. The postcard and the calendar are both easy ways to put the Basics into parents’ hands and are clear and easy to understand.” Another answered, “Using the tip sheets and providing a magnet. I see the magnets on refrigerators on subsequent visits many times.”
Several noted the value of giveaways … Children’s items such as books and educational toys are valuable conversation prompts and can be used to model how to put the Principles into action.
What Parents Say About Basics Insights Text Messaging
From families across the Basics Learning Network responding to an online survey.
Grandparent Caregiver
“I love receiving the text. I'm 60 years old and adopted my granddaughter. I've had her since day one out of the hospital. She is my life.”
Parent of Toddler
“Appreciate the informative texts as a reminder to connect with my child in specific, creative ways.”
Parent of Preschooler
“The messages seem to be targeted to where my child is developmentally. I appreciate this as it helps us as parents prepare for behavior rather than react.”
Parent of Two-Year-Old
“The suggestions have been spot on with our child’s development. This has been an outstanding resource.”
Parent of Two
“Thank you for this valuable resource. I truly wish everyone could take advantage of it.”
First-Time Mother
“Very grateful for a program like this, especially as a first-time mother. Mom guilt is real, but the ideas from the Basic Insights messages help me think of new, meaningful ways to engage.”
Parent of Infant
“I really enjoy the text messages. They provide ideas I probably haven’t thought of since Basic Insights is tuned to my child’s exact age and development.”
Mother of Toddler
“It’s helpful as a woman. Often, we are tasked to teach not only our child but husband as well. It’s wonderful for me to share these with my husband.”
Parent Participant
“You are doing a great service to parents and children. Thank you so much for that!”
Parent of Two
“All around really great for first-time parents. I'm currently pregnant with baby #2 and am so excited to go back through the process of learning life with a newborn.”
