Reviewing the work of the past year, she noted that children in disadvantaged households have heard 30, 000,000 fewer words than more advantaged youngsters by the age of four. That is astounding, and yes that is 30 million!
To address this word gap, she recounted partnering first with Univision so that parents in bilingual households might better understand the value of speaking to children both in the heritage language (which they tend to fear will have a negative effect and avoid) as well as in English. Further, she explained, she and Chelsea met with folks in the entertainment community to request their support in the effort. She proudly announced a boost in a segment of Orange is the New Black which can be viewed at the Too Small to Fail website.
Finally, she cited a partnership with education organizations in Tulsa, Oklahoma and announced an upcoming similar partnership with groups in Oakland, California.
The new commitments Hillary announced began with something you might have seen in this morning's New York Times.
Pediatrics Group to Recommend Reading Aloud to Children From Birth
To assist the AAP in this endeavor, Too Small to Fail will provide tool kits for pediatricians while Scholastic will contribute 500,000 books to accompany the tool kits. Reach Out and Read will deliver the tool kits and books to 5,000 sites. A remarkable partnership and effort.
You can view the video of this event at the Livestream website here >>>>
Promoting Reading to Children from Day One
Commitment By: Too Small to Fail; American Academy of Pediatrics; Scholastic; Reach Out and Read
In June 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will publish its first clinical policy statement that highlights early literacy promotion as an ‘essential’ component of primary care visits. This statement represents the organization’s first official policy recommendation for pediatricians to promote the importance of reading to children starting in infancy. It also encourages the distribution of developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate books for all high-risk, low-income children through well-being visits. To promote the policy's new recommendations, Too Small to Fail has facilitated a multifaceted partnership between the AAP, Reach Out and Read, and Scholastic. The AAP and Too Small to Fail commit to developing an online pediatric toolkit which will include a concrete set of tips and information for pediatricians to share with parents and caregivers of children age birth to five. As books are key to strong early literacy development, Scholastic, the largest publisher and distributor of children’s books in the world, commits to donating 500,000 books to support pediatricians’ outreach efforts. Reach Out and Read will serve as a key delivery mechanism so that pediatricians can provide books to their youngest patients, particularly those in low-income, underserved communities. Reach Out and Read will help expand the reach of the pediatric toolkit to their 5,000 sites across the country.
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