I learned about early childhood literacy at the beginning of my career, while working in the pediatric department of a community health center. One lesson that really stuck with me: introducing books to children as early as six months of age can have a powerful and lasting impact. Little did I know it at the time, but this experience and professional education would soon extend into my personal life as I raised two (and then three!) young children.
I began exposing all three of my children to books, language, and libraries when they were six months old. Even when their grandmothers saw me and innocently expressed that I was crazy, I was not deterred! I knew the immediate and long-term benefits early childhood literacy could provide.
BOOKS BOOST BONDING
Research shows that young children exposed to books, language, and literacy have higher expressive language scores and improved language development by three to six months, compared to those who are not. Children from literacy-rich homes collectively hear 1.4 million more words before kindergarten during shared reading time than those who are never read to. And, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, children who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out or fail to graduate from high school. Plus, during the last 30 years, there has been a new and unexpected finding: early childhood literacy can be the glue of early relational health and bonding between children and their parent/guardian. Early literacy begins in a child’s first years with caring connections between babies and caregivers. Who knew books could do so much?
A 2023 report from Academic Pediatrics perhaps summed it up best: “Responsive, reciprocal caregiver-child shared reading supports improved language and literacy skills, school readiness, and social-emotional development and provides a foundation for positive familial routines and relationships.” Essentially, spending time with an infant or young child and responding to their cues when they are “reading” is instrumental in creating a bond that is emotionally and mentally beneficial to both child and adult. All children need positive relationships and nurturing spaces to grow healthy and strong.
PEDIATRICIANS AS LITERACY CHAMPIONS
A key resource for parents in these early years? Their child’s pediatrician. In 2014, almost ten years to the date, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a policy statement recommending “that pediatric providers promote early literacy development for children beginning in infancy and continuing at least until the age of kindergarten entry...”
Pediatricians are positioned to not only serve as literacy advocates, but to support, mobilize, and create literacy interventions that serve the child, the family, and the community at large. They can advise parents that reading aloud enhances parent/guardian-child relationships and provide guidance about using developmentally appropriate books that support language enrichment and engagement.
Recognizing this, in 2021, United Hospital Fund launched an early childhood literacy project, Pediatric Steps to Literacy, One Book at a Time, to empower pediatric primary care practices to capitalize on resources to create positive change in child health outcomes and academic achievement. The project focuses on communities with low literacy rates and those at greater risk of poor health and educational outcomes. It is one of many UHF initiatives that harnesses the potential of clinical-community partnerships to tackle disparities in health, education, and child development.
Now in its third year, UHF’s project has worked with almost 15 pediatric primary care providers and their respective practices to create innovative and practical strategies to integrate early childhood literacy into the health space. The initiative has benefited more than 5,000 young children and their families at the practice level and distributed more than 6,000 books. Be it from a community partnership with the New York Public Library, an age-specific child’s play session on a Saturday morning, a reading corner in the waiting room, or receiving their first book from their pediatrician—we are surely touching people’s lives.
HELPING ALL KIDS THRIVE
It's a humbling privilege to play a behind-the-scenes role in identifying pediatric providers to champion early childhood literacy and partner with organizations that serve the very families we aim to support. And it has been gratifying to see these families now armed with the tools necessary to help them flourish with their young children. On a broader level, I believe the project can help reduce cycles of illiteracy, poverty, and poor health and economic outcomes.
As for me personally, my kids are all older now, all academically strong, and still dedicated readers. I’m a proud “mami” of their educational achievements but am even more delighted that I experience individual healthy relationships with each of them. For us, no topic is off limits, and they can each trust that I’m here for them always.
Strong, promising, and meaningful relationships are necessary for all people to thrive and succeed, even more so for young children who are at the prime of their cognitive and social-emotional development. Books can help young kids and families get there. They are critical tools for parents, enabling them to engage in productive strategies like reading aloud, learning language and phonics, and nourishing emotional relationships as early as possible. When used wisely and in tandem, these strategies contribute exponentially to overall lifelong health and well-being.
