First3Years
Our Impact Lasts a Lifetime
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
By the time a child turns three, 85% of core brain development has occurred. During these first 3 years of life, the brain undergoes dramatic development as it builds the circuits and processes that become the foundation for all other learning. The everyday experiences that infants and toddlers have with their parents and caregivers help shape how their brains become hardwired to learn and interact with the world around them. These experiences impact a child’s ability to reach 3rd grade reading levels, graduate from high school, and contribute fully to society as an adult. In Texas, nearly 60% of the 1.6 million children under 3 years of age, will receive care from an early child care center or home provider. First3Years fills an important knowledge gap by providing those working directly with young children with research-based knowledge, & skills development opportunities that directly impacts the quality of care their clients receive.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Trainings on Infant Mental Health
Our trainings focus on building capacity among caregivers to understand the importance of infant mental health by focusing on brain development, attachment, regulation, separation, the parent-child relationship, and temperament. TAIMH trainings teach important developmental concepts that are often overlooked by trainings that focus on cognitive and literacy skills alone.
TAIMH Endorsement
A nationally recognized system, Endorsement helps to recognize and document the development of infant and family professionals within an organized system of culturally sensitive, relationship-based, infant mental health learning and work experiences. Endorsement verifies that an applicant has attained a level of education as specified, participated in specialized in-service trainings, worked with guidance from mentors or supervisors, and acquired knowledge to promote the delivery of high quality, culturally sensitive, relationship-focused services to infants, toddlers, parents, other caregivers and families. As the Endorsement program grows, it will provide information of significant benefit to employers, referral sources, and the courts seeking expert witnesses related to the social and emotional development of infants and young children and their families. TAIMH has worked with the University of Texas at Dallas to perform a crosswalk between their graduate level coursework in early childhood disorders and the TAIMH Endorsement.
Advocacy
First3Years partners with other agencies and experts in the field to advocate for policies and practices that that support the healthy development of infants and toddlers. First3Years collaborates with community partners to ensure that decision makers are informed of what funding priorities will provide lasting benefits for Texas’ children.
Outreach
First3Years participates in a variety of outreach to increase awareness of the critical importance of the first three years. Activities include but are not limited to exhibiting at conferences, attending local meetings, providing informational handouts, and reaching out to local programs.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We educate, advocate, and collaborate to advance the healthy development of infants, toddlers, and their families.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We serve the community by linking research to practice and making it accessible to all.
As part of our overall mission to create and support a higher quality workforce in the infant-toddler field, First3Years works to support and recognize those who have specialized skills and training around infant mental health through our Endorsement Program.
With regards to advocacy, First3Years has demonstrated effectiveness in educating and influencing policy makers. First3Years was instrumental in the Texas Legislature's raising the pre-service training requirements for child care licensing from 8 to 24 hours, and ongoing professional development training from 8 to 24 hours per year.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
• Improving the Health and Well-being of Maltreated Infants and Toddlers: Our independent
evaluation of Safe Babies by The Institute for Family and Child Wellbeing at UT Austin showed:
o Increased reunification for Safe Babies vs. comparison groups, meaning families are more
likely to experience healing and return home together.
o Decreased recidivism, meaning that when children exit foster care, they are NOT re-entering
the system 6 or 12 months later measured against the comparison group showing 11% & 17%.
o Better health outcomes. Safe Babies cases are more likely to be referred to and receive
early intervention services and exit foster care developmentally on track.
• Partnering to Promote Relational Health: In partnership with Columbia University and UNT,
First3Years is launching an initiative to focus on relational health screenings through use of the Welch
Emotional Connection Screen (WECS). This is the first community-based implementation of the
model in the country. “The WECS can help professionals who work with families to better understand
behavioral problems in a new way and provides more helpful support based on those insights.”
• Building Capacity for a Specialized Infant-Toddler Workforce: First3Years continues to provide
trainings and mentoring that enables professionals in the field to apply current developmental
research to their work with families. In 2018, more than 2,570 individuals participated in nearly
12,500 hours of training. Participants’ feedback highlights how “Understanding trauma informed care
helps me (the professional) serve my maternal/child health clients better.”
• Celebrating the Critical Importance of the 1st Three Years: 2018 was a year of planning to launch
Baby Day™ (February 2019) – the first celebration in the country to highlight how wonderful the
early years are for early brain development. Nearly 1,500 individuals participated in activities across
the state that promoted bonding and delight.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
First3Years was founded in 1980 by early care professionals who were concerned about the quality of care young children receive. A statewide organization, the mission of First3Years is to educate, advocate, and collaborate to advance the healthy development of infants and toddlers.
Our programs:
• Increase awareness of the critical importance of the first three years of life.
• Support conditions that enhance the quality of infant and toddler/caregiver relationships.
• Advocate for policies and practices that support the healthy development of young children, and
• Educate the birth-to-three workforce in best practices.
First3Years is the only organization in Texas working across sectors to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers through training and certification. Parents, caregivers, and professionals must have access to current research about infant/toddler development to help children reach their greatest potential as adults. With increased understanding of the need for information on infant/toddler development and a gap in state policies to require more rigorous training and licensing, the demand for First3Years' programs has steadily increased. For more than 38 years, we have played an important role in advancing public and professional awareness about infant/toddler development; now we are poised to take our organization to the next level to make a significantly larger impact.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Community meetings/Town halls, Suggestion box/email,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our funders,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
First3Years
Board of directorsas of 05/13/2022
Benjie Esguerra
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
No data
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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Equity strategies
Last updated: 09/10/2019GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.