Chelsea Clinton: Supporting Families Where They Are Matters for Early Childhood – The 74

Report on the ‘Too Small to Fail’ Initiative and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction and Mission Alignment with SDGs

Launched by the Clinton Foundation in 2013, the ‘Too Small to Fail’ initiative is dedicated to improving early childhood development by providing families with resources to support early learning. The program’s decade-long activities demonstrate a strong alignment with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily focusing on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

• Core Mission: To support parents and caregivers by transforming everyday spaces into learning-rich environments that foster early brain development.
• SDG Focus: The initiative’s work directly contributes to SDG 4 (Quality Education), with significant impacts on SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Advancing SDG 4: Quality Education

The initiative’s primary impact is on SDG Target 4.2: ensuring that all children have access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education. ‘Too Small to Fail’ implements this by promoting foundational literacy and language skills from birth.

• Early Literacy Promotion: The program encourages parents and caregivers to talk, read, and sing with their young children, activities proven to foster early learning and development.
• Accessible Learning Environments: By integrating learning opportunities into public spaces like laundromats, grocery stores, and playgrounds, the initiative breaks down barriers to educational resources.
• Resource Distribution: The program ensures families have access to materials, such as books in multiple languages, to facilitate these educational interactions.

Cross-Cutting Impact on Associated SDGs

Beyond education, the program’s model creates positive outcomes across a spectrum of development goals.

• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The initiative promotes positive parent-child bonding, which is crucial for long-term mental and emotional well-being. The strategic involvement of pediatricians as “trusted messengers” integrates early learning into pediatric health and wellness frameworks.
• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): The program is rooted in a commitment to equity, influenced by Hillary Rodham Clinton’s early work on the 1974 report, Children Out of School in America. By meeting families where they are, the initiative aims to close the early learning gap and reduce inequalities in educational access for all children.
• SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): ‘Too Small to Fail’ contributes to building inclusive and child-friendly communities by repurposing public infrastructure for social and educational benefit, enhancing the community value of shared spaces.

Strategic Implementation through SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

A cornerstone of the initiative’s success is its strategic use of multi-sectoral partnerships, embodying the principles of SDG 17. This collaborative approach has enabled the program to scale its impact and reach diverse audiences.

1. Community Messengers: The program leverages the credibility of “trusted messengers,” such as pediatricians and librarians, who are identified in a recent report as the “secret sauce” to effectively engaging families.
2. Academic Collaboration: Partnerships with institutions like the TMW Center at the University of Chicago and the Stanford Center on Early Childhood ensure the initiative’s strategies are informed by the latest science on early learning and reading.
3. Media and Entertainment Outreach: The initiative has successfully collaborated with television writers and producers from shows like Jane the Virgin and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit to embed early learning messages into storylines, achieving broad public reach.
4. Public Agency Partnerships: Collaborations with entities such as the Napa County Health and Human Services Agency and the California Department of Social Service facilitate the installation of literacy-promoting infrastructure in public facilities.

Decadal Review: Key Findings and Impact

A new report outlining the first decade of ‘Too Small to Fail’ highlights significant achievements and lessons learned, reinforcing its alignment with SDG targets.

• Measured Behavioral Change: Research demonstrates that parents and caregivers who engage with the program’s installations report talking, reading, and singing more frequently with their children.
• Qualitative Success: Chelsea Clinton, who chairs the initiative’s advisory council, reports observing immense “joy” and “gratitude” from parents and children at program sites, indicating strong community reception and engagement.
• Effective Partnership Model: The success of collaborations across sectors has proven to be a powerful and replicable model for scaling social impact.

Future Outlook and Continued Commitment

Looking ahead, ‘Too Small to Fail’ plans to build upon its evidence-based model while remaining adaptive to community needs, thereby continuing its contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Scaling Proven Strategies: The primary focus for the next decade is to expand and deepen the initiatives that have demonstrated success.
• Embracing Innovation: The organization remains committed to exploring new strategies and ideas suggested by its network of community partners.
• Intensified Mission: Chelsea Clinton notes that parenthood has sharpened her commitment, making the mission feel “even more intense” and personal, ensuring continued high-level dedication to achieving the program’s goals.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on the “Too Small to Fail” initiative highlights issues and actions that are directly connected to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary focus on early childhood learning, equitable access to resources, and collaborative efforts aligns with the following SDGs:

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  This is the most prominent SDG in the article. The entire “Too Small to Fail” initiative is centered on providing “opportunities and resources for early learning” to support families with young children. It aims to foster early literacy and development, which is the foundation of quality education.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The initiative’s strategy to “transform everyday spaces like libraries and playgrounds” and even laundromats and grocery stores into learning environments directly addresses inequality. By “meet[ing] families where they are,” the program provides access to educational resources for all, regardless of their socioeconomic status, helping to reduce the gap in early learning opportunities.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article repeatedly emphasizes the importance of collaboration. It details how the initiative has “leveraged partnerships to transform everyday spaces” and cultivated “collaborations with media companies,” pediatricians, librarians, and researchers from institutions like the University of Chicago and Stanford. This multi-stakeholder approach is the essence of SDG 17.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The connection to SDG 3 is made through the involvement of health professionals and the focus on early childhood development, which is a critical component of lifelong health and well-being. The article mentions that “trusted messengers, such as pediatricians,” are key to the program’s success and highlights the involvement of the “TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health,” explicitly linking educational development to public health outcomes.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the activities and goals described in the article, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 4.2: Ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.

   This target is the core mission of “Too Small to Fail.” The article states the initiative was launched “to support families with young children by providing opportunities and resources for early learning.” Its programs, which encourage parents to “talk, read and sing more frequently with their children,” are designed to improve early childhood development and literacy to prepare children for future education.

2. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

   The initiative’s model of creating learning opportunities in public spaces like “laundromats, grocery stores, [and] waiting rooms” is a direct effort to promote inclusion. It ensures that families from all economic backgrounds can access resources that “unlock every child’s full potential,” thereby promoting social inclusion in early education.

3. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.

   The article is replete with examples of such partnerships. It mentions “collaborations with media companies,” partnerships with “pediatricians and librarians,” and an advisory council including researchers from the “University of Chicago” and “Stanford Center on Early Childhood.” These collaborations across public, private, and civil society sectors are exactly what Target 17.17 promotes.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Indicator for Target 4.2: Frequency of parent-child educational interactions.

  The article explicitly states that “research demonstrates that parents and caregivers talk, read and sing more frequently with their children after taking part in Too Small to Fail programming.” This behavioral change is a direct indicator of the program’s impact on improving the home learning environment.

• Indicator for Target 10.2: Number and accessibility of early learning environments.

  The article mentions the creation of “hundreds” of sites in everyday community spaces. The number of laundromats, playgrounds, libraries, and other public areas transformed into literacy-rich environments serves as a quantifiable indicator of the program’s reach and its success in making learning resources accessible to diverse populations.

• Indicator for Target 17.17: Number and scope of multi-stakeholder partnerships.

  Progress can be measured by the number and variety of partnerships formed. The article points to collaborations with Hollywood writers and showrunners, resulting in messages being embedded in popular TV shows like “Orange Is the New Black or Jane the Virgin.” The number of shows incorporating these messages and their audience reach are concrete indicators of the effectiveness of these partnerships.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: the74million.org