Chicago, IL — Civitas Initiative, a national non-profit communications group, is launching its new video entitled Begin with Love the week of Mother's Day as a tribute to all parents. Throughout this 30-minute video, hosted by Oprah Winfrey, five guidelines will be highlighted to help all new parents create a responsive and enriching environment for their young baby. This, according to the latest research in early childhood development, is key to helping a baby learn about its new world.

Begin with Love will be distributed to 3.6 million parents when leaving hospitals nationwide with their newborn, through the BabyTalk new parents kit distributed by FirstMoments, Inc. Additional videos can be purchased by logging on to the Civitas web site at www.civitas.org or by calling 1-800-TO-BEGIN. The video is also being produced in Spanish and is hosted by Cristina Saralegui, host of the "Cristina" show on Univision, and child expert Dr. Alicia Lieberman.

Civitas produced this video to address the fact that when parents leave the hospital with their newborn, they are not given the necessary tools to help that new person develop. A vast majority of expecting parents receive classes in diapering and feeding but do not learn about the importance of the relationship between parent and child and how that affects a baby's ability to learn.

With that in mind, this video highlights the following five points that help create a positive environment for all infants. These are:

1. Take Care of Yourself. Once you get home from the hospital, it's important that you take care of yourself and your important relationships. This is good both for you and your baby.
2. Provide a Warm and Loving Environment. Your affection is key to your baby's growth and development. When your newborn is happy, he is more open to learning.
3. Talk, Sing and Read to your Baby. The newborn brain is especially interested in sound; words and music are some of the best ways to connect with your infant.
4. Create a Predictable World for Your Baby. Providing routines, especially around sleep and feeding, lets your baby know that she can depend on you. In turn, she will spend less energy fussing and more time learning.
5. Understand and Respond to Your Baby's Needs. When you respond to your baby, you teach him that he can communicate his needs, building trust in you and the world around him.

Also featured in the video will be pediatrician and child expert Dr. Kyle Pruett, a wonderful group of first time parents and the debut of Raffi's song "Blessed Be." Begin with Love was made possible thanks to the support of Ronald McDonald House Charities, The Time Warner Parenting Group, drugstore.com, The Harris Foundation, and Zero to Three.