By Mike Bezos, Bezos Family Foundation

Hanging on the wall of our office entryway is a large six-by-three-foot print of a tandem bicycle. Each day, we walk by it and are reminded of our role as a foundation. We’re here to power and support our partners. Primarily we act as the rider in the back, but sometimes the best way to provide support is to drive. By working in tandem, we go farther together than we could alone. This picture of partnership grounds our grant investments, programs, and initiatives.

Throughout the foundation, we have a bias for action. In addition to managing our grant portfolio, when we see gaps in the field that need addressing, we’re motivated to act. This began 12 years ago with the creation of our first in-house program focused on youth leadership development, Bezos Scholars Program, and continues today with our latest initiative focused on early learning, Vroom.

Across the foundation, we use the same approach: Listen, start small, adapt, and stay close to the ground. 

Here’s a look at how this played out with Vroom.

Listen First

After nine years of funding early learning research, we noticed a troubling trend. The emerging research provided incredible insights into the developing brain, but rarely made it off the shelf of research journals. This information had the power to change lives but was not reaching those who needed it.

After identifying this need, we surrounded ourselves with experts. We spoke with leaders in neuroscience, psychology, parenting, and early childhood development. We also listened to the experts on children’s lives: parents. With our partner IDEO.org, we sat in the homes of parents in poverty across the country to hear their hopes, desires, and what information they wanted.

Through these conversations, we realized there was untapped potential in the everyday moments parents and children already share. Often overlooked moments, like bathtime or mealtime, are filled with opportunities to help build a child’s brain. Through science, we know that nurturing our children’s growing minds requires no extra time or money. Parents already have what it takes to be brain builders.

With these insights, we built Vroom.

Start Small and Adapt

Vroom translates early brain development research into tools and activities that work for families’ busy lives. Our aim is to empower all parents and caregivers to become brain builders. It’s ambitious. So we started small.

We first piloted Vroom in South Seattle in a very diverse community where nearly 60 languages are spoken. We assembled a group of 50+ organizations—ranging from social services agencies, health and housing departments, community clinics, childcare providers, and home visitors—and 130 local businesses. In four months, Vroom moved the needle on awareness and positive parenting routines.

We used the pilot to learn and adapt. Then we scaled.

Stay Close to the Ground

As we have expanded, our strategy has remained constant. We rely on strong partnerships with trusted programs and partners to share Vroom. We provide tools and training on Vroom information, and partners bring deep local expertise to adapt these tools to serve their communities.

Two years after the pilot, Vroom is present in 28 states—five of which are statewide integrations—and close to 100 communities. But this would never have been possible alone.

Vroom thrives on the ground in communities. Partners widen the reach of Vroom through their networks, including Early Learning Hubs, Education Service Districts, tribal groups, Head Start programs, collective action movements, funders collaboratives, and more. With these local connections, Vroom is being adapted in ways we never could have dreamed.

Through the Oregon Early Learning Division, Vroom information is shared in parenting classes at behavioral health recovery and treatment programs, during storytimes in rural libraries, and as part of early brain development training for preschool instructors.

In Louisiana, an early childhood mental health professional saw potential in Vroom and successfully integrated brain building into several early learning systems. She also forged a partnership to distribute Vroom materials with every birth certificate in Louisiana.

In Florida, the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is using Vroom to boost school readiness and literacy, with support from The Patterson Foundation—another Exponent Philanthropy member. They engaged food banks, health departments, public housing, and others to recruit pilot families. Two months in, 97 percent of the parents and caregivers reported that Vroom was helping to deepen their connection with their child.

Creatively layering Vroom into existing programming means the information has a greater impact and longer-term sustainability. By working in tandem, we’re better supporting parents and helping in the crucial role they play in young children’s lives.

We’re inspired daily as more people join the Vroom movement. Everyone has a role to play and we each have assets to offer. We celebrate the contributions that small foundations make every day and the positive impact this has in communities across the country. As you reflect on your approach as a foundation, I invite you to also think of your role as a brain builder. After all, there’s more room on this bicycle.

Mike Bezos often says, “Your education is always yours – once you have it, it cannot be taken away.” Guided by this notion and a deeply held belief that all children deserve an opportunity to achieve their full potential and contribute meaningfully to society, Mike co-founded the Bezos Family Foundation in 2000, with his wife Jackie, their three children and their spouses, all of whom serve as directors. Through investments in research, public awareness, systems-building, and programs, the foundation works to elevate the field of education and improve life outcomes for all children along the continuum from birth through high school. Never shy to fill an unmet need, the foundation has pioneered several in-house programs: the Bezos Scholars Program, Students Rebuild, Mind in the Making, and Vroom.

Mike’s professional career spanned over 32 years with Exxon Mobil in various engineering and managerial positions in the U.S. and overseas. A native of Cuba, Mike immigrated to the United States as a teen and worked his way through the University of Albuquerque where he completed his undergraduate degree. Mike is on the board of the Aspen Institute and New Classrooms Innovation Partners. Outside of his role at the Foundation, Mike enjoys spending time with his family, particularly his 11 grandchildren.