NYC Gazette

The Mount Sinai Parenting Center has secured a $2.2 million grant from the Bezos Family Foundation aimed at enhancing early-childhood development programs. The funding will be used to expand training, research, and resources that support caregiver-child relationships during critical developmental stages.

This grant will allow the center to extend its programs to educate healthcare providers on social, emotional, and cognitive development in early childhood. Building on their existing network of 25,000 providers and 550 academic institutions, Mount Sinai plans to enroll an additional 30,000 primary care providers over the next three years. These providers will have access to the Keystones of Development Provider Portal, which offers interactive learning modules covering topics such as early numeracy, literacy, discipline, and self-regulation. The center also aims to include nurse practitioners and family medicine physicians in its training initiatives.

Carrie Quinn, MD, Executive Director of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai stated: “The Bezos Family Foundation has been a passionate champion for getting the science of early childhood development into the hands of pediatric health providers. We are so grateful for their partnership in creating and distributing this work, and know that it will lead to tremendous change in the field.”

Megan Wyatt, Managing Director at Bezos Family Foundation remarked: “With the Keystones of Development Provider Portal now reaching more than 25,000 health care providers, Mount Sinai Parenting Center has proven both the approach and reach of this valuable resource.” She added that through this grant, "the Mount Sinai Parenting Center will be able to expand its groundbreaking work."

Additionally, the investment supports national recruitment efforts by Mount Sinai for partnerships with hospital networks, community clinics, and individual providers to implement Vroom—an early learning program by Bezos Family Foundation focusing on brain development from birth to age five.

Lisa M. Satlin, MD from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai expressed gratitude: “This generous grant from the Bezos Family Foundation is truly transformative for the Mount Sinai Parenting Center and the children and families we serve.” She emphasized that "this funding will allow us to significantly expand our reach and impact."