Talk Read Sing Tampa Bay Launches New Website to Promote Positive Childhood Development

Posted on April 9, 2020, by Massey Law Group

Remember those who read “Green Eggs and Ham” to you as a child? And those who sang “Wheels on the Bus?” Talk Read Sing Tampa Bay educates the community about the importance of a child’s brain development beginning at birth.

Founding shareholder, Starlett Massey, recalls how her grandmother imparted the love of reading to her and the impact of the time they spent together. That is one of the reasons why Starlett serves on Champions for Children’s Community Council, which supports parents and caregivers with resources for early childhood development, including the Talk Read Sing program.

Now, families can discover and access Talk Read Sing through its new website, Facebook page and Instagram account. Talk Read Sing provides online resources and links for parents, caregivers, teachers, counselors and siblings, and they also provide families with children’s books. 

These resources help to change the trajectory of families and children’s lives. They also afford children an equal opportunity to lead healthy, successful lives — benefiting themselves, future generations and our community as a whole. In an interview with Champions for Children, 83 Degrees reported that “According to The 30 Million Word Gap Study, a child raised in a high-income family encounters 30 million more words by age 4 than a child living in a low-income situation. This disparity can translate into school readiness gaps.” 

Demand Increases During Pandemic for Talk Read Sing and Champions for Children Services

The launch of the new website is timely, given the statewide stay-at-home order. It has allowed Talk Read Sing to shift its model from in-person materials and book corners to a digital platform to “meet families where they are” as we all adjust to the new normal. A recent Tampa Bay Times article mentioned that Champions for Children is expecting “child abuse and neglect rates to rise during the pandemic, as stressors rise and children are in isolation, and their services to be in increased demand.”

With the organization’s long-standing mission of preventing child abuse, helping parents with young children cope with the stress and isolation created by the coronavirus pandemic is its goal. “In addition to the Talk Read Sing resources online, we’ve moved quickly to provide a wide range of supports for families during the pandemic, including virtual versions of almost all our services and a client and community diaper distribution in partnership with the Junior League of Tampa,” said Amy Haile, executive director of Champions for Children.

Be a Champion for Children: Double Your Impact With a 1:1 Match

Discover more about Champions for Children, and especially with the cancellation of their annual Champions Luncheon fundraiser due to the pandemic, please consider donating to help keep children safe and families strong by providing critical services to Tampa Bay families and children during this time.