Children's book author/illustrator Selina Alko read aloud to children at the Lutheran HealthCare Park Slope Family Health Center in Brooklyn, NY
Reading with young children is like putting money in the bank, in terms of the developmental and educational benefits they will receive.
New York, NY (PRWEB) August 20, 2013
Children across the Greater New York region visited their doctors last week - not for checkups, but to celebrate reading. Children's book readings in hospitals and health centers promoted reading aloud as one of the best ways families can help babies and young children develop the language skills they will need for success in school.
"Reading with young children is like putting money in the bank, in terms of the developmental and educational benefits they will receive," said Traci Lester, Executive Director of Reach Out and Read of Greater New York. "Each year we celebrate Early Literacy Awareness Week to encourage families with young children to make reading part of their daily routine."
Reading events were held at health centers in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Poughkeepsie, and Amenia, New York. Readers included children's book authors Selina Alko, Artie Bennett, Melanie Hope Greenberg, Dave Reisman, and Reshma Sapre. New York legislators who read aloud to children include: City Council Member Inez Dickens; Assembly Members Didi Barrett, Chad Lupinacci, Walter Mosley, and Linda Rosenthal; and State Senators Brad Hoylman and Terry Gipson. Special guest readers from TD Bank and Scholastic Inc. also participated. Children at these events enjoyed a special story time and got books of their own to take home.
The grande finale of Early Literacy Awareness Week was a distribution of approximately 50,000 children's books to hospitals and health centers with the Reach Out and Read program. Volunteer teams from New York Cares and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ helped sort and move hundreds The books will be given to children at their regular health checkups as part of Reach Out and Read of Greater New York's children's literacy program.
About Reach Out and Read of Greater New York
Reach Out and Read of Greater New York prepares young children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. Doctors, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals incorporate Reach Out and Read's evidence-based model into regular pediatric checkups by advising parents about the importance of reading aloud and giving developmentally-appropriate books to children. The program begins at the 6-month checkup and continues through age 5, with a special emphasis on children growing up in low-income communities. Families served by Reach Out and Read read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills, better prepared to achieve their potential. Across New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley, more than 180 Reach Out and Read program sites serve a quarter of a million infants, toddlers and preschoolers each year. For more information about Reach Out and Read of Greater New York visit our website at http://www.reachoutandreadnyc.org.