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The Houston Health Department is pleased to announce the launch of www.thebasicshouston.org. The Basics Houston teaches parents and caregivers how to help children, ages 0-3, reach their full potential. The Five Basics include: Maximize Love, Manage Stress; Talk, Sing, and Point; Count, Group, and Compare; Explore Through Movement and Play; and Read and Discuss Stories.

The Basics Houston is an affiliate of the Basics Learning Network, a nationally recognized, scientifically proven initiative, was founded by Dr. Ron Ferguson to address cognitive skill gaps between children of different races, ethnicities, and parental education levels.

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“The Basics Houston is a critical part of not only increasing awareness, but also giving parents tools they can leverage to improve their children’s readiness,” said Stephen Williams, director of the Houston Health Department. “This program is another example of the Houston Health Department’s commitment to equipping Houston families with the resources and skills needed for success.”

“Early brain development has a lasting impact on a child’s ability to learn and succeed in school and life. With 80% of brain growth happening within the first three years of life, we must empower families and communities with The Basics Houston. Their success is important to the vitality of our city,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner.

To develop the new site, Houston Health Department engaged Poetic Digital — a nationally recognized technology and creative firm specializing in engagement and user experience. Poetic employed a combination of market research, competitor analysis, and stakeholder interviews to effectively create a modern website tailored to the needs of parents, caregivers, and the community at large. The new and robust digital presence educates users and provides free resources to bolster brain development and skill-building for young children in the first three years of life. The intuitive layout features videos, activities, tip sheets, and an extensive resource library of presentations, research, and promotional materials. The site prioritizes accessibility by offering all resources in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Haitian-Creole with additional languages to be launched in 2021.

“It was an honor to work collaboratively with The Houston Health Department and The Basics Houston.  We took a strategic, data-driven approach, which resulted in a design that successfully furthers the impact and empowers users to improve the number of children in Houston who have a healthy start to life,” said Poetic’s President, Sean Haynes.

The Basics Houston has partnered with the experts throughout Houston to ensure the Five Basics connect directly with local parents and caregivers. The Children’s Museum Houston, a nationally recognized leader in early childhood education, produced local videos and developed a series of free in person “fun-shops” hosted in neighborhoods around Houston  (Note, due to the pandemic, fun shops are currently on hold.) Dr. Quianta Moore, a Fellow in Child Health Policy at Rice University, provides ongoing research to advance stakeholder interests.
 
Funding for The Basics Houston website is provided by the Episcopal Health Foundation through a grant to the Houston Health Foundation..