Project Development

In 1996, the Lawson Foundation made a decision to provide funding that would reflect its interest in the well-being of children. The Board of the Foundation was particularly interested in the growing knowledge from research about the importance of stimulating and supporting child development in the early years of life. The Foundation chose the Hincks-Dellcrest Institute (HDI) to create and manage a multi-year, national project that would demonstrate community-based strategies to support Canadian families with young children.

Hincks-Dellcrest is known nationally and internationally for its work in the area of children's mental health and parent-child relationships. The Foundation committed funding for project management and evaluation, as well as local site programs. The HDI formed a small national project management team to develop the concept for TLC³, in consultation with the Foundation. This process took place over several months.

Early development of language and cognition (thinking) was identified as the key focus for the project. Language and thought are foundational skills that enable children to communicate their needs, socialize with others, and begin to figure out the world around them. Since children do not develop in isolation, the project mission situated early language and cognitive development in the context of young children's relationships with parents and other caregivers. It was also recognized that the local community environment has an influence on families and their children.

TLC³ was conceived as a promotion and prevention project that could benefit all children and families who participated rather than a treatment program for children with developmental delays or disabilities. It was designed to reflect the diverse contexts in which Canada's children grow up - in urban and rural communities, in at-risk and healthy populations, and in families with a range of incomes. In particular, the Lawson Foundation asked that TLC³ not to focus solely on economically disadvantaged families, on the basis that all parents can use some help with parenting their children in the early years.

It was agreed that existing community organizations with suitable experience would be selected to get TLC³ funding. That is, the organizations and/or the project site leadership should have a track record of establishing and operating quality community-based programs and have demonstrated the ability to work in partnership with other groups in their communities, particularly in the area of early childhood development.

The project was also designed to link community practitioners with researchers and policy-makers at both the national and local levels. It was hoped that the project could help to close the traditional gaps between the people who deliver community-based programs and the worlds of academia and government.

To select sites, the HDI team asked its contacts in early childhood development policy and research in the academic community and in government to recommend community organizations and leaders. Once identified, the sites were required to develop a project proposal describing what programs they would deliver; how they would pursue TLC³ goals in ways that would best serve the local community; and to justify their approach, based on current research and best practices. The programs had to serve children from birth to age five, but within that age range, they could focus on infants, toddlers or preschoolers.