It comes as no surprise to those of us who have been
advocating this for years, but now the American Academy of Pediatrics has solid
studies with proven results and has recommended that children be read to daily
from birth. (Read the original article here)
From our standpoint at the Kauai Children’s Authors Guild
and as parents ourselves, we realize that a lot is going on when you read to
your children. Everyone gets so focused on academic success, which is valuable,
but what about the quality time that you can spend with your child? Having your
child seated in your lap makes them feel safe, it offers an opportunity for
parent child bonding and it helps boost your child’s self esteem. It is no
wonder that when these things are in place, learning can then occur.
Reading daily to your child sends them a very strong
message. The message is that reading is something we do everyday, like brushing
teeth, taking a bath, and eating dinner. It becomes part of life-long routine.
Hearing words and pointing to pictures forges new
connections in your child’s brain and prepares them for academic success.
The statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics, will allow for strong
partnerships between child advocacy groups and government. Organizations will
begin to partner and work with pediatricians to get the information to the most
vulnerable groups and put books in the hands of parents and children that may
not otherwise have access to them.
The Kauai Children’s Authors Guild will hold a planning meeting
to respond to this statement and will continue the work that they have been
doing with Read Across Kauai. This year, we would like to hold a special event
at one of the hospitals, but that remains to be organized.
The Kauai Children’s Authors Guild is a volunteer
organization that works in partnership with the Storybook Theatre of Hawaii. If
your organization would like to partner with us to provide channels to better
serve our children or to help fund our book giveaway on Read Across Kauai Day,
please contact us. To learn more about our Read Across Kauai Day Literacy Event
and the work that we do to help promote literacy on Kauai, please check out the
articles on the Kauai Children’s Authors Guild Blog.
