About
The Basics are 5 fun, simple and powerful ways that every parent and caregiver can give every child a great start in life! Even though The Basics are simple and for everyone, they are actually based on decades of research from scientists and early childhood experts. The Basics work!
Why We Love The Basics
Our Story
In 2016, a small group of South Carolina early childhood professionals heard about a new community messaging campaign out of Boston called “The Boston Basics.” The South Carolina group had been working for many months toward finding better ways to promote school readiness. It was challenging to find simple language and practical, evidence-based principles that all parents and caregivers could understand and apply. The Basics provided the answer.
Founder Dr. Ron Ferguson, the faculty director of the Achievement Gap Initiative (AGI) at Harvard University, had done research showing that cognitive skill gaps between children of different racial, ethnic, and parental-education groups were very apparent by just two years old. He began exploring how to contribute to the large body of work that was already underway to support early learning and brain development, but he wanted to reach across whole communities to impact every child, starting at birth. In 2017, Dr. Ferguson traveled to the Upstate of South Carolina for events to help launch The Basics in our state.
There are now dozens of communities across the country and the world who have adopted The Basics and are part of the Basics Learning Network (BLN.) The Palmetto Basics is proud to be one of the earliest members of this network! Organizations across multiple counties in South Carolina have become “Champions for Children” by promoting The Palmetto Basics in their agencies, classrooms, faith communities, and businesses. To learn more or join our movement, click the button below.