All children need relationships with caring, responsive adults in their earliest years. But no relationship is as critical as the one they share with their parents. Stable, nurturing and engaging interactions with parents—especially in the first three years—profoundly influences healthy physical and neural development with ongoing effects that persist across a child's lifetime.
Sixpence supports early learning experiences that benefit infants and toddlers by enabling parents to grow as more capable, informed caregivers and educators of their youngest children.
The Challenge of Guiding Children's Early Development
No parent undertakes this important responsibility fully prepared for the challenge ahead. But while many parents have access to the kinds of resources and supports that enable them to develop critical parenting skills and qualities, far too many Nebraska families don't enjoy the same advantages. Some of the risk factors that can actively undermine parents' opportunities, particularly during a child's first three years, to become the kind of caregivers and educators their children need include:
- Financial insecurity
- Limited educational achievement
- Mental health problems
- Social isolation and other
68% of families served by Sixpence-funded programs face multiple challenges to parents' effectiveness in guiding the early development of their infants and toddlers.
The Role of Capable, Supportive Parents in Children's Lives
Every early learning program supported by Sixpence focuses on helping parents fulfill their role as the key factor in children's lifelong success. Regardless of the type of service offered, these programs partner with families to:
- Increase parent knowledge of children's developmental stages, enabling them to monitor the growth of their infants and toddlers. Through its collaboration with Step Up to Quality and other resources, Sixpence helps parents make responsible, informed choices about quality childcare environments and work with providers to guide their children's progress.
- Enhance parenting skills by creating opportunities for parents to work with experienced early childhood professionals. These professionals model, observe and coach parents in interactions proven to cultivate stronger emotional attachments, language and communications skills, and healthy neural development.
- Increase family resilience by encouraging the best use of existing community services, health and wellness programs, continuing education supports and other resources. These partnerships form support networks that provide safer, more stable family environments for their young children.
With the help of Sixpence, Nebraska communities are helping parents grow as more capable, skilled educators and caregivers, putting more children on a path to success in school and life.
Sixpence Partners with Families for Success
To ensure that Sixpence family partnerships are conducive to helping families adopt and apply the skills necessary to create supportive and nurturing relationships with infants and toddlers, assessments occur every six months to measure the strength of relationship-building skills. Results from the 2020-21 period demonstrated:
In 2021-22 the 59% of Sixpence families demonstrated strong skills in building relationships with their children through play.
