MIAMI, FL – MARCH 31, 2015 – Univision Communications Inc., the leading media company serving Hispanic America, as part of its Univision Contigo empowerment platform, today announced the launch of the next phase of the “Pequeños y Valiosos” (Young and Valuable) initiative. Building on the success of last year’s campaign, Univision has renewed its partnership with Too Small to Fail, and expanded the campaign through a new partnership with Vroom, an initiative of the Bezos Family Foundation, to invite parents and families to commit to engaging with their young children for at least 15 minutes each day, transforming everyday moments into brain building experiences. This expanded initiative seeks to raise awareness among Hispanic families about how meaningful, quality interactions with children from birth through age five boost early brain development, ultimately strengthening their skills in early numeracy and literacy, and proving the benefits of bilingualism.
The month-long, multimedia “Acción por los Niños” awareness campaign kicks off the morning of April 1, 2015 on Univision Network’s popular morning show, “Despierta América” (Wake Up America), with special programming and events planned throughout the month on select national and local Univision properties. “Acción por los Niños” culminates on April 30, Día de los Niños (Children‘s Day) — a holiday celebrated in Latin America and by Hispanic communities in the U.S. — and will be delivered across Univision’s full array of media platforms and channels.
To move from awareness to quantifiable action, the campaign encourages parents and families to pledge to spend at least 15 minutes every day transforming routine moments — like meal times, neighborhood walks, and bedtime — into brain building opportunities for their children. Parents who sign up by taking the text-message-based pledge (made by texting EXITO to 262-62) will receive tools and resources from Univision and its partners, including weekly tips and prompts from Vroom, and expert guidance from Too Small to Fail, to help their children develop learning skills and reach their full potential. Parents and family members who take the pledge may be featured on Univision’s broadcast, digital and social platforms by sharing images of how they spend 15 minutes engaging with their child, and tips on how others can create brain building moments, using the hashtag #PequeñosyValiosos.
The month-long promotion will include the following elements:
- National Television and Radio PSAs: A series of public service announcements (PSAs) will air across UCI’s network television and radio properties, featuring popular Univision on-air personalities and their families engaging in brain building activities with their own infants and toddlers — including Barbara Bermudo (co-host of Primer Impacto), Satcha Pretto (co-host of Despierta America), Ilia Calderón (co-anchor of Noticero Univision: Edición Nocturna), and Alan Tacher (co-host of Despierta América). In addition, several messages will feature the character Rosita from Sesame Street;
- Network Program Integrations: Several of Univision’s network programs will be participating in the campaign, including Despierta América, which will feature regular segments that will provide parents – including many new parents within the show’s cast – with suggested “brain building moments” for their families; Primer Impacto, which will showcase photographs from social media of audience members’ own interactions with their young children; and Noticiero Univision, with in-depth content of the leading edge neuroscience on the impact social interactions have on the brain development of babies and young children;
- Local Programming Integration: In addition to feature stories on early childhood development in their local communities, Univision local news and public affairs programs from around the country will feature 30 days of “brain building moments,” with tips, powered by Vroom, on beneficial ways parents can interact with their young children, and the science behind each tip;
- Local PSAs: Univision’s local stations will feature their own local on-air personalities engaging in brain building activities with their own infants and toddlers to promote awareness and action among parents and caregivers;
- Special Events: More than two dozen local and national events are planned, including phone banks, community education fairs, parent workshops and reading gardens across 17 markets nationwide;
- Resources for Parents: New tools, tips and information for parents will be made available online at univision.com/educacion, via mobile text messages (by texting EXITO to 262-62), and through social media channels (Facebook.com/UnivisionContigo and on Twitter via @UniContigo). These resources are provided by Vroom, Sesame Workshop, and ZERO TO THREE.
This second annual campaign builds on an award-winning, successful first year which helped parents take meaningful action to improve the health and well-being of children ages zero to five by delivering expert research, commentary, and information across Univision platforms, during which the initiative:
- Amassed more than 285 million audience impressions for campaign programming (i.e., PSAs, news, and integrated content) across Univision’s network platforms, plus additional impressions via Univision’s local affiliate placements;
- Reached tens of thousands of Hispanic families through over two dozen local education fairs, parent academies, town halls, and other education-related events organized by Univision’s local affiliates across the country;
- Provided over 125,000 families with information resources online, at www.univision.com/educacion, via social media (Facebook & Twitter), and through Univision’s new mobile messaging service for parents; and,
- Mobilized over 25,000 parents and caregivers to complete an online pledge to spend a minimum 15 minutes of uninterrupted time per day talking, reading and singing with their children.
“Pequeños y Valiosos” is a joint partnership of Univision Contigo, Too Small to Fail and Vroom, an initiative of the Bezos Family Foundation, with additional funding support provided by the Heising-Simons Foundation and the David & Lucile Packard Foundation.
Univision Contigo’s education initiative is the nation’s longest-running education campaign on the air in any language, spanning across television, radio, digital and community events.
CONTACT: Univision Communications Inc.
Paola Hernandez
646-560-4979
About Univision Communications Inc.
Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. The Company, a leading content creator in the U.S., includes Univision Network, one of the top five networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the country reaching approximately 93% of U.S. Hispanic television households; UniMás, a leading Spanish-language broadcast television network reaching approximately 87% of U.S. Hispanic television households; Univision Cable Networks, including Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network, as well as Univision tlnovelas, a 24-hour cable network dedicated to novelas, Univision Deportes Network, a 24-hour cable network dedicated to sports, ForoTV, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to news, and an additional suite of cable offerings - De Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson and Telehit; Univision Television Group, which owns and/or operates 61 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Hispanic radio group which owns and operates 67 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; an Interactive network of online and mobile apps and products including UVideos, a bilingual digital video network serving Hispanic America, Uforia, a music application featuring multimedia music content, including over 65 radio stations, exclusive digital channels and a custom radio offering with more than 25 million songs, Univision.com, the No. 1 most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. online Hispanics, and Univision Partner Group, a specialized advertising and publisher network. UCI’s assets also include a minority stake in El Rey Network, a 24-hour English-language network founded by maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, and a joint venture with Disney/ABC Television Network for Fusion, a news, pop culture and satire TV and digital network. Headquartered in New York City, UCI has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States. For more information, please visit www.Univision.net.
About Too Small to Fail
Too Small to Fail, a joint initiative of the Bill, Hillary and & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and Next Generation, aims to help parents, communities and businesses take meaningful actions to improve the health and well-being of children ages zero to five, so that more of America’s children are prepared to succeed in the 21st century.
In 2015, Too Small to Fail is focusing its work on closing the “word gap.” Studies have found that by age four, children in middle and upper income families hear 30 million more words than their lower-income peers. This disparity in hearing words from parents and caregivers translates directly into a disparity in learning words. And that puts our children born with the fewest advantages even further behind. Among those born in 2001, only 48 percent of poor children started school ready to learn, compared to 75 percent of children from middle-income families.
The “word gap” is a significant but solvable challenge. Too Small to Fail is about parents, caregivers, other concerned individuals, and the private sector coming together to take small, research-based actions with big impacts.
Learn more at www.toosmall.org and on Twitter @2SmalltoFail.
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