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Top Takeaways is a series of recaps from important conversations, town halls, webinars and virtual events about early learning.

On Oct. 13, Patti Miller, CEO at (TSTF), moderated a discussion with her colleague Stephen Massey, along with Claudia Bojorquez (), and Anthony Tassi (). The group highlighted their ongoing and shared the story behind the innovative media strategies they craft for Spanish-speaking parents and communities. The (CGLR) hosted the conversation. Below are our top five takeaways from the event.

1. Young brains are busy. Science shows us that in the first few years, more than one million neural connections are being formed every second. These connections are incited when caregivers talk, sing and read with children, aiding in healthy brain development. Although the research is , some studies show that children from lower-income families hear millions of fewer words than their higher-income counterparts. Additionally, 60% of America鈥檚 children show up to kindergarten without the language and literacy skills needed to succeed. Further, many Hispanic families in America face economic, linguistic and cultural challenges that make it hard to prepare young children to learn–a challenge addressed by TSTF, an initiative of the Clinton Foundation.

2. The medium matters. TSTF partnered with Univision to provide Latinx parents and caregivers with information and tools to support their children, while highlighting the importance of language. Univision aims to 鈥渆ntertain, inform and empower U.S. Hispanics with news, sports and entertainment content across broadcast, cable television, radio and digital platforms in a culturally relevant way,鈥� explained Bojorquez. For the last six years, Univision and TSTF have worked to integrate educational messaging into several outlets, from reality TV to scripted programming. 鈥淥ur success is based on being a part of the community,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd not just servicing them. Over the years we have become a trusted messenger on important social issues.鈥�

3. There鈥檚 power in storytelling. Together they craft and provide resources that are both educational and entertaining to their millions of viewers across the country. (Young and Valuable) was the first multi-platform public awareness campaign. They developed their very own prime-time telenovela (soap opera) full of engaging early childhood content. La Fuerza de Creer was the first miniseries that came out of the growing partnership and was supported in part by Vroom. The series has been seen by more than 1.4 million viewers on Univision. Another initiative, , is in the works.

4. Reinforced messaging leads to greater social impact. 鈥淭here is a lot of research about the role of entertainment programming in shifting knowledge, attitude and behavior on a range of public health and other social issues,鈥� Massey said. 鈥淲e hypothesized that we might be able to replicate some of that impact on early childhood issues.鈥� The work of embedding this messaging in familiar cultural art forms has meaningfully shifted parent attitude and behaviors. This work is complemented by workshops to deliver impact closer to home. 鈥淲e bring parents together. They watch clips from the telenovela and they talk about it,鈥� Tassi explained. 鈥淭hey analyze what they鈥檝e seen and relate that back to their own lives. At the end of each session, they agree on an action that they can take at home.鈥� Deepening engagement in this manner inspires tangible change in areas that are important to viewers.

5. Community connection is critical. 鈥淭he number one issue that has come up throughout the years is education,鈥� Bojorquez said. 鈥淕etting involved in social impact issues has always been a part of our DNA. It鈥檚 who we are and where we鈥檝e stood for the last 60 years.鈥� Input from focus groups with Hispanic parents, work with independent evaluators and informal engagement with thousands of Univision viewers contribute to the development and iteration of their campaigns. 鈥淗arnessing the narratives of people鈥檚 everyday lives is the key to supporting them in developing skills and applying those skills in ways that are meaningful for them,鈥� Tassi said.

In partnership with leaders in early learning education, Univision has leveraged its entire broadcast network to ensure that every Hispanic child can get to kindergarten ready to learn.

Disclosure: Vroom was created by Bezos Family Foundation, which published the former Early Learning Nation.

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 蜜桃影视. Learn more here.