Sharing a belief in the power of positive relationships, these agencies committed themselves to a collaboration and Baby TALK was created. Driven by a desire to provide parents with tools to develop their relationships with their infants, Baby TALK coordinators set about determining how to reach parents and children. Many outstanding programs reported that despite the presence of beautiful facilities, insightful curriculum and engaging staff, they continued to reach only middle income, well-educated parents. We chose the obstetric units at these two hospitals as a good starting point for Baby TALK Because the obstetric staff from these hospitals were part of the original collaborative group, Baby TALK personnel easily gained access to the obstetric units. Since new parents are enthralled with their babies and eager for whatever information they can get about them, we arrange for a Baby TALK teacher to visit them while they are still in the hospital.
Parents are eager to learn about their newborn's abilities and what to expect in the months to come.
Even at-risk parents display this same enthusiasm. Baby TALK personnel offer information about the challenges ahead, such as colic and sleepless nights, and encourage the parents to see these as developmental, short-term and survivable challenges. An important guiding principle for the Baby TALK program is providing anticipatory guidance for parents. In his book Touchpoints. If parents know what lies just ahead and understand why it is likely to occur, they are more likely to view a developmental challenge as a sign of a normally developing child, rather than as a negative idiosyncrasy of an individual child.