Why talking — and listening — to your child could be key to brain development (hechingerreport.org)
More than 20 years ago, psychologists Betty Hart and Todd Risley discovered what they called the “ 30 million word gap .” Through family visits, they estimated that children under 4 from lower-income families heard a staggering 30 million fewer words than children from higher-income families. That study was embraced by Hillary Clinton and it spurred a White House conference on the topic, public service announcement campaigns, and the creation of at least two outreach organizations. The clear...