ZERO TO THREE, in partnership with the Bezos Family Foundation, conducted a comprehensive research effort, including a series of in-home discussions and a large national parent survey with a diverse range of parents of children from birth to 5. Our findings provide brand new insights about the challenges parents face, what they do and do not understand about early childhood development, and what they want and need to be the best parents possible.
The survey, conducted in October 2015, examines parenthood from the perspective of millennial and Generation X parents.
Caring about babies and toddlers means caring about, listening to and meeting the needs of parents. During the first 1,000 days of life, more than a million neural connections are formed in a baby’s brain every second. The way adult caregivers—parents in particular—interact and connect with children during the early years can actually shape babies’ brain architecture for life.
Children who have experienced nurturing and positive connections have more secure, healthy relationships. They are also more likely to do well academically and socially in adulthood than children who experience insensitive or harsh caregiving. Our new research provides a clear and in-depth understanding about the challenges that parents face, the help they seek and how satisfied they are with the support and information they receive.
ZERO TO THREE will use findings from the Parent Survey to ensure that our programs and resources provide parents the information they want in relatable and engaging ways.
Bring attention to what babies and their families need to thrive.
