Project for Babies

The Project for Babies began as a special initiative of the Minnesota Community Foundation, supported by a grant from the Bush Foundation. The goal is to improve the health and developmental outcomes for very young children with special attention to the impact of early experience on the "life course."

This project aims to raise the importance of infants and toddlers (prenatal to three) at a policy level in three states (MN, North and South Dakota) and to integrate current scientific knowledge about child development into programs, practice, and sustainable systems change.

The Project for Babies has organized its investments according to a "theory of community change" map designed by the Aspen Institute. It uses a collaborative and catalytic approach to include communities of color, researchers, policy makers, and practitioners by investing in building blocks to improve health and developmental outcomes for very young children.

The Project partners include the Children's Defense Fund, Council of State Governments, Frameworks Institute, Early Childhood Resource and Training Center, the University of Minnesota, Wilder Research, tribal entities, and consultants David Cournoyer and Sheila Kiscaden.

So far, the Project for Babies and its partners have designed and conducted Legislative Leadership Institutes on Child Development Research and Policy; conducted studies and prepared reports on such topics as maternal depression, and the wellbeing of infants and toddlers in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota; and convened state, county, philanthropic, tribal, and community leaders to learn about neuroscience, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and effective interventions.

The Project for Babies moved to the College of Education and Human Development in July 2011. Jane Kretzmann, director of the Project for Babies, is a Senior Fellow in CEHD, housed in CEED. The initiative will build upon and draw from the University's commitment to scientific research, its place as a land grant university, its capacity in technology and communications, and its role in professional preparation. CEHD expects to integrate knowledge of 0-5 and enhance work begun by the Project through strengthened partnerships:

Implement Legislative Leadership Institutes on child development research and policy
Support research to practice networks
Influence public discourse
Support public sector leaders
Engage cultural communities
Develop and apply new knowledge

Video

In 2012 the Project for Babies developed an educational video on the Importance of the Early Years featuring Regents Professor Megan Gunnar, Director of the Institute for Child Development. The video consists of four sections, each five minutes in length.

The Project for Babies is grateful to Greater Twin Cities United Way for providing financial support to develop the video, and to Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child for the use of visual images and other content. Thanks also to Vox Pop Video and Cliff Dahlberg for their work on the project.