BOSTON — As students head back to school, the importance of reading starts even before kids get to the classroom.
In fact, a national nonprofit that started in Boston emphasizes reading to babies and toddlers, with studies showing exposure in those early years makes a big difference later in life.
Brenna Melo finds a way to read to her boys every day. Even though sometimes they aren’t looking or sitting still, she knows they are still listening.
“There are days when we only have a couple of minutes to read,” said Brenna Melo, Senior Director of Development Operations, Reach Out and Read. “And so it doesn’t have to be a big ordeal. Sometimes we just read for two, three, four, five minutes.”
And those minutes make a difference.
“Obviously, you’re building early literacy skills, but just as importantly, you are really deepening that bond and connection between parent and child,” said Lori Brooks, Chief External Affairs Officer, Reach Out and Read.
Chief External Affairs Officer of Reach Out and Read, Lori Brooks, says literacy rates are on the decline across the U.S. In Massachusetts, just four in 10 third graders are reading proficiently.
“A child’s brain develops more in the first five years than it does their entire life,” said Brooks. “So really finding that time, particularly between birth and three, will set your child on that trajectory for success.”
A pediatrician in Boston started the nonprofit 35 years ago, realizing the kids they were seeing weren’t being read to at home.
“One of the earliest indicators of how a child will be successful long term is the presence of books in the home,” said Brooks. “It is that simple.”
That’s why Reach Out and Read clinicians provide a free book to families during their well-child visits. Between zero and five years old, kids see their pediatrician 14 times, which is enough to help build a small library in their home and take one thing off a busy parent’s plate.
“They feel like, you know, we have parents who are working multiple jobs and getting kids to and from daycare or to and from school,” said Brooks. “Screens are prevalent and are a distraction in a lot of ways for parents.”
Brenna says getting a book and a doctor’s checkup at the same time helps save time and puts parents at ease.
“When you go to the doctor, I think there’s a lot of things that, as a parent, you’re worried about or you’re really nervous to check in about,” said Melo. “It gives you something to focus on that’s positive, that you know you can do.”
Reach Out and Read supported a teacher preparation and student literacy bill that was just signed by the governor this summer, reinforcing what Brenna is practicing now to build her sons’ literacy skills for later.
“It doesn’t have to be a full story. It doesn’t have to be start to finish, but it feels like something achievable as a parent,” said Melo. “There are a lot of scary things as a parent, and this is something that makes it a little bit less scary.”
Reach Out and Read is in all 50 states. There are currently 250 sites in Massachusetts where pediatricians hand out free books to kids ages 0 to 5 during their wellness exams. If you are interested in finding a participating pediatrician near you, just go to their website and put in your ZIP code.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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