Conversations Count™ curriculum and its accompanying PowerPoint presentation are provided free for use by teachers, leaders, parents, and community partners. This material may be downloaded and used in its format as a parent literacy workshop.
Conversations Count™
A Family Literacy Initiative
Conversations Count™ is a 3-session parent workshop for parents of children birth to three. It is designed to help parents make the most of everyday activities and interactions to build their child’s brain. With the help of informative videos, group discussions and engaging activities, parents/ caregivers will discover a variety of ways they can help prepare their child for success in school - and in life.
Session One: Respond to Me
Responsive interactions between parents (caregivers) and children influence brain development, setting a strong foundation for later learning. During this informal and interactive presentation, parents and caregivers will discover how to “tune in” to their child, using facial expressions, touch, gestures and voice - and how these loving interactions play a valuable role in brain development.
Session Two: Talk With Me
“Babies are not born smart. They are made smart by their parents and caregivers talking with them.” Becoming a child’s conversational partner is about having meaningful conversations throughout the day starting from birth. During this session, parents/ caregivers will learn and practice the T.A.L.K. strategy and discover what it means to be their child’s conversational partner.
Session Three: Read With Me
The best way to build language and comprehension is through interactive storybook reading. This session guides parents and caregivers through the different ways they can be responsive to their child’s interests and make reading fun. Using the T.I.P.S. strategy to enhance the reading experience and P.A.T. to build vocabulary, parents learn how reading this way helps build connections in their child’s brain.