RESEARCH is Clear about the BENEFITS of Reading to your BABY
Children who hear a wealth of language before age 3 will experience success at school.
Children's books contain three times more developed vocabulary than the everyday conversation between parent and child.
Babies who were read to regularly starting at 6 months had a 40% increase in receptive vocabulary by the time they were 18 months old. Babies who were not read to had only a 16% increase in receptive vocabulary. P. C. High, et al., PEDIATRICS, Vol.105 No.4, April 2000.
Children benefit from the read aloud experience as it promotes bonding by making a connection between the things babies love most- their parent's voice, the security of physical closeness, and eventually- books.
Reading to children from birth is the single most important thing parents can do to prepare their children for school. Anderson, R., et al., Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report on the Commission of Reading, 1988.
Preschoolers who view TV excessively can experience delayed reading skills.
Children who acquire a great interest in reading in their homes form the overwhelming majority of those who later become good readers.
"Reading is the single most important factor in American life today. The more you read, the more you know. The more you know, the smarter you grow. The smarter you grow the longer you stay in school. The longer you stay in school, the more money you earn. The more you earn, the better your children will do in school and the longer you will live. So if you hook a child on reading, you will influence not only his future health and financial circumstances but also those of the next generation." - Jim Trelease, Author, The Read Aloud Handbook
It is well documented that rural and low income children are at increased risk of school failure. They frequently lack the pre-literacy skills needed for school readiness and are more likely to be retained in kindergarten, as well as in subsequent grades. Rural children are also 60% more likely to be placed in special education in kindergarten than are non-rural children. They are also less likely to be proficient in letter recognition and identifying the beginning sounds of words upon entering kindergarten when compared to non-rural children They are also unlikely to have the opportunity for advantageous pre-kindergarten programs that are more prevalent in urban areas. (NYS Rural Education Advisory Committee (REAC) Policy Brief, March 2009).
