Evidence established long ago that reading to young children – especially if you engage in a dialogue with them while you’re reading – helps them develop language skills and prepare for school.
Now the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a new policy encouraging doctors to talk with parents about reading aloud to children, and providing books to low-income families at pediatric well visits.
There is strong evidence that when parents hear messages about early literacy from doctors, it makes a difference. One non-profit organization that partners with pediatricians, called Reach Out and Read, has been studying the effects of early literacy promotion in pediatric well-visits for more than 20 years. They have conducted dozens of studies showing the benefits of pediatricians encouraging early literacy. For example:
- Parents who are given books at well-visits and engage in a discussion about reading to kids are up to four times more likely to read aloud to their children.
- These programs teach parents to start lifelong learning in the home.
- Preschool students who participated in these programs score three to six months ahead of their peers on vocabulary tests.
In the town where I live, I feel incredibly lucky that we have a local organization called the Family Reading Partnership dedicated to promoting early childhood literacy. Each of my children received books at the hospital when they were born, and at each well-visit up to four years old – as does every child in my community. In addition, there are bookshelves in public places across town where children can take a book home for free, and there is a book festival each year with a “community read” and literacy activities.
I am grateful that my community places such a strong emphasis on reading to children at an early age, because the evidence clearly shows it makes a real difference in children’s lives. It’s great that pediatricians across the country will be promoting early literacy as well.
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