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Can coaching parents close the word gap for poor kids?
NCT ID NCT02216032
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a home visiting program called Thirty Million Words can help low-income parents talk and interact more with their young children, boosting language development. About 206 families with children aged 13-16 months are taking part. Researchers measure changes in parent-child interaction and child language skills over several years.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- TMW Curriculum (parent coaching program)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that teaching parents to talk more with their young children improves language skills and school readiness.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational-style intervention study, not a drug trial. Results may not apply to all families, and long-term benefits are uncertain.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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206 people
The number who actually took part.
- Start date
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Nov 2014
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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13 to 16 months
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * participants (i.e. parents and their children) who live at or below 250% of the federal poverty line * paternal education at or below BA/BS * parents with children between the ages of 13-16 months old Exclusion Criteria: * participants (i.e. parents and their children) who live over 200% of the federal poverty line * parents under the age of 18 * children younger than 13 months old or older than 16 months old (at start of study) * parents who do not have legal custody of their child * parents whose child does not live with them * parents who are not with their child at least two full days per week * parents who are unable to commit to the intervention requirements * foster parents * children with significant cognitive or physical impairments (specifically Autism Spectrum Disorder, Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, hearing impairment, Down Syndrome and blindness) * parents who have earned or are currently working toward a graduate or professional degree (e.g. M.A., M.S., M.B.A) * parents who speak less than 80% English to their children.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Thirty Million Words® Initiative at the University of Chicago Medicine
Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States