Fundraising – Babies Project

Big Picture, Little Picture

(from Fall Fundraising 2019 Newsletter #4)

…there are so many things to love besides one’s own offspring, so many things that need love, so much other work love has to do in the world.
– Rebecca Solnit, from The Mother of All Questions

We unpacked our tagline one sentence at a time in our previous letters, and in this last letter, we’ll wrap it up by adding context and perspective. (You can catch up here on “be with,” “be a witness,” and “be in relationship.”)

Why did we choose our tagline and why are … Read more

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Unpacking “Be in Relationship”

(from Fall Fundraising 2019 Newsletter #3)

I learned a great deal about how to interact and hold my baby, along with how to encourage play and curiosity. Equally as important, I feel more grounded and confident in my approach to raising my baby.
– Laura, mother of Oliver

My daughter’s confidence and curiosity has grown, and our relationship is stronger, because of the knowledge we gained at the Babies Project.
– Kimberly, mother of Laura

Each day, Olivia moves more independently and we observe that she is becoming more confident and happy. As she is blossoming, we also feel empowered

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Unpacking “Be a Witness”

(from Fall Fundraising 2019 Newsletter #2)

We’ll continue unpacking our tagline, this time focusing on the second sentence, “Be a witness.” That can mean so many things – what do we mean by it?

Being a witness means being aware of our own experience and responses as we witness a baby (of any age). Can watching and noticing our own experience help us not project our experience onto the baby?

The intention to “be a witness” means reserving judgment and evaluation, at least in the beginning. It’s a commitment to not start with a polarized lens – of good/bad, success/failure, … Read more

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Unpacking “Be With”

(from Fall Fundraising 2019 Newsletter #1)

I have learned to get on the floor more with him.
I have learned to observe more and entertain less. 
I have learned to be present with him.
– Hedy, mother of River

We’re hoping to persuade you to support us by unpacking our tagline:

Starting with the first sentence, what do we mean by “be with”?

“Being with” is a counter-balance to “doing to” and “doing for.” It’s an alternative to already thinking we know what is needed, to going in with an intention of fixing or of making progress … Read more

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Agency, Relationship, & “You’re OK”

Our topic here is AGENCY and RELATIONSHIP. A baby’s development is a relational process. A baby and their primary caregiver(s) are affected by and in turn affect each other. They respond to each other, they co-create their relationship, and they exist within layers and networks of other relationships.

In our work educating parents and other caregivers, we bring awareness to how they influence their baby’s development: through how they touch and handle them, how they talk to them, and how they view their role as caregivers.

We acknowledge and want to help parents navigate their choices about parenting. What we teach in terms … Read more

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Agency & Emergence

“Things are always changing, and we have agency in that change.”– Rebecca Solnit

“Developmental change is not planned but arises within a context as the product of multiple, developing elements.”– Esther Thelen

Agency is the first of our core values, and we come back to it again and again. It encapsulates many of our ideas, underlies our principles, and guides our teaching.

As we define it, agency is the ability to make choices, to have an impact, and learn from experience. We do not think agency is the same as autonomy. Rather, agency is relational, interdependent and participatory.… Read more

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