In my Outtakes “America’s Early Learning City,” I write about taking the next step in that direction. Quint Studer agrees and wants to step up the Studer Community Institute’s Build a Brain program in 2025.
In this conversation, Quint revealed how this hospital-based intervention program emerged from a challenge faced by researchers in Chicago. These researchers, including PhD and medical students, were struggling to reach low-income mothers to validate their educational video program. The solution came when they began showing the videos to mothers during their hospital stay after giving birth.
The program’s implementation was straightforward but impactful: new mothers asked to watch on an iPad educational content about building their baby’s brain. What makes it particularly effective is the human element—nurses don’t simply hand over the device, but engage in meaningful conversations about brain development with the mothers.
Data from the program shows promising results. Prior to watching the video, mothers typically rate their knowledge about building their baby’s brain in the high 6’s on a scale of 1-10. After viewing, these scores jump to the high 8’s or low 9’s. However, Studer notes a significant challenge: out of approximately 5,200 births in our area, only 2,300 mothers currently see the video—a gap he aims to address in 2025.
BUILD A BRAIN
The initiative has evolved beyond just video education. The Studer Community Institute (SCI) has developed educational booklets for new mothers. The revenue generated from the booklet sales as other hospitals across the country adopt the program has created a sustainable model for the non-profit.
Looking at the broader picture of early childhood development, Studer connects this hospital-based intervention to larger community outcomes. He cites behavioral economist John List’s observation that kindergarten readiness is a key predictor of a community’s future. In Florida, where kindergarten readiness is measured statewide, even the best-performing counties only achieve readiness rates in the mid-seventies.
The program represents a shift from treating symptoms to addressing root causes. As Studer puts it, “We like everything we do… but if it’s still a little late, we’re treating the symptoms. We never treated the cause, which is the child is not hearing the words correctly… that means human not a video from day one.”
The initiative is now expanding nationally, with implementations in places like Norman, Oklahoma, Lafayette, Louisiana, and West Palm Beach. For Studer, the ultimate goal is to make this educational component as fundamental as other aspects of post-natal care, suggesting that hospitals should require video viewing before distributing resource materials.
This systematic approach to early childhood development, beginning in the hospital room, represents a promising path toward improving kindergarten readiness rates and, ultimately, community outcomes. The key, according to Studer, lies in making these educational interventions as routine as teaching new mothers about basic infant care.
To learn more, visit buildabrainnow.com.
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