Integrating Early Brain Science and Skills Into Prelicensure Nursing Curriculum to Promote Parent-Child Interaction

Abstract

Background: Research shows that the number of loving words children hear in their first 3 years of life has a tremendous impact on their health, developmental, and literacy outcomes. Early language transactions should be rich in engagement, quantity, quality, and context-a term called language nutrition.

Problem: The curriculum in most nursing programs does not emphasize the importance of early language exposure and ways to empower families to talk with their babies.

Approach: The Talk With Me Baby Curriculum for Nurses, which includes techniques to empower families to better engage conversationally with their babies, was integrated into the prelicensure nursing curriculum.

Outcomes: More than 1,300 nursing students have received knowledge and skills on early language exposure and ways nurses can promote parent-child interactions.

Conclusion: Nurses have the opportunity to empower families to engage with their babies socially, emotionally, and linguistically as a means of promoting healthy brain development.