Frequently Asked Questions

We will serve families of children who will attend kindergarten in schools that are served by Regional Education Cooperatives 1, 5, 7, 9 and 10.  Parents and caregivers of children who will enter kindergarten in the fall of 2024 can receive texts starting in October of 2023, and parents and caregivers of children who will enter kindergarten in the fall of 2025 can receive texts starting in October of 2024.

Please visit the “Are you eligible?” information here.

October of 2023 for families of children who will enter kindergarten in the fall of 2024, and October of 2024 for families of children who will enter kindergarten in the fall of 2025.

Receive three text messages a week and respond to three longer surveys and periodic short surveys.  Families will receive a $25 Walmart merchandise card in recognition of the time required to complete the three longer surveys, and a smaller Walmart gift card for completing the short surveys.

A randomized trial evaluation of the program serving San Francisco four-year-olds attending preschool found that participation increased parental reports of academic engagement in the home, teacher reports of parental engagement in the school, and students’ pre-literacy skills by 0.10 standard deviations, which is equivalent to about 3-4 months of learning. Notably, the academic improvements were concentrated among the students who had the lowest levels of school readiness before beginning the program. The pre-literacy scores of this group of children increased by 0.30 standard deviations (York, Loeb and Doss, 2019).[1]  Combined with theories and evidence regarding the effectiveness of early education interventions, these findings suggest that TipsByText might be even more effective for rural students who are not in preschool.

[1] York, B.N., Loeb, S., & Doss, C. (2019). One step at a time: the effects of an early literacy text-messaging program for parents of preschoolers. Journal of Human Resources, 54(3), 537-566.

The Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education through a grant to the Prevention Research Center at the University of New Mexico.

We provide texts in Spanish and English.

A team at Stanford University developed and tested TipsByText, and they continue to conduct research to refine the content and structure of TipsByText.  For more information on the ongoing development of TipsByText, see: https://med.stanford.edu/childhealthequity/engagement/earlyeducation/TipsByText.html

Nothing. Tips by Text incorporates learning activities into everyday activities like bath or meals using materials that families already have, such as towels or eating utensils.  Hence, we expect that you will not have to purchase materials.

Participating adults will have to spend minimal time reading very short texts and engaging in activities with children like identifying the colors of towels or counting spoons.

The surveys are all voluntary, and all the information is kept confidential and only used for research purposes.  On the surveys, we will ask for information related to activities you undertake with your child, skills your child has, and whether your child goes to pre-K.  You are not required to answer most questions on the surveys.  Participating in the surveys helps us understand whether Tips by Text can help other parents get their preschoolers ready for kindergarten.

You can receive a $5 merchandise card for each eligible family that signs up for Tips by Text after you refer them.  When you successfully enroll in Tips by Text, you will receive a unique code at the end of the enrollment form.  Save that code, as eligible families you refer will need to enter that code when they sign up.

To refer other families, you can direct them to this website (tipsbytextnm.org), tell them to click on “Sign Up!”, and enter your code at the end of the survey.  You will then receive a $5 merchandise card at the email address you provided in the enrollment form.

Please click here to see videos about enrolling families and to get copies of cards and flyers to print.
Password: tipsbytext

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