About Us
Better Brains for Babies (BBB) is a collaboration of state and local, public and private organizations dedicated to promoting awareness and education about the importance of early brain development in the healthy growth and development of infants and young children in Georgia.
Vision
All children will grow up in healthy, secure, and enriching environments to help ensure their social, emotional, academic, and occupational success.
Mission
To improve the potential of young children by promoting the use of early brain development research in everyday life experiences.
Goals
The Better Brains for Babies initiative has goals in four key areas:
- Education. To develop and deliver a clear and consistent science-based message about the impact of early brain development on children’s overall growth and development.
- Training. To educate and support volunteer Better Brains for Babies trainers who will actively disseminate information on early brain development throughout the state.
- Advocacy. To influence early childhood practices, policies, and funding decisions in Georgia through the use of early brain development research findings.
- Evaluation. To evaluate the impact of Better Brains for Babies’ education, training, and advocacy efforts throughout the state.
History of Better Brains for Babies
Better Brains for Babies was founded in 1998 to share new research on early brain development with the people of Georgia in order to “maximize Georgia’s brain power”. The Better Brains for Babies (BBB) initiative was created by fourteen Georgia organizations interested in improving child outcomes. BBB is co-led by professionals from University of Georgia Extension and Sheltering Arms, with support from an Advisory Committee that guides the ongoing initiative to increase public awareness of research on early brain development and positive child outcomes. The organizations serving on the Advisory Committee have different individual missions, but all focus on improving outcomes for Georgia’s children, and use the BBB materials to support their work.
BBB began preparing trainers in 1998 using materials developed for the for the Florida Starting points initiative. The BBB Advisory Committee has continued to update these materials periodically to reflect new research in neuroscience and related fields. More than 600 community outreach educators (formerly called “trainers”) have been prepared to teach BBB content since 2007. The majority of these educators are in Georgia, but BBB information is also being shared in Tennessee, Kansas, Illinois, Minnesota, and several other states. BBB community outreach educators have presented brain development information to a wide variety of audiences through face-to-face and online trainings; professional conference presentations and exhibits; high school and college classes; individual conversations and technical assistance; and print, broadcast and social media.
The first edition of the BBB Educator’s Guide and presentation materials was developed in 2006-2007. The materials were designed as a comprehensive, interactive resource to educate adults about the latest research in early brain development. The second edition, completed in 2012, updated the content, slides, and illustrations to reflect the latest training technology and to present the latest research about the brain and early childhood development. The third edition, completed in 2016, includes further updates to the content and slides, focusing on the Introduction and Chapters 1 – 3. Sections of the guide and accompanying slides are updated each year to accurately reflect the most updated research and ensure that the information is accessible to our target audiences.
