This October, the national literary organization is challenging parents and caregivers to a 21-Day Challenge - Read Aloud 15 minutes with their children.
Reading is a vital part of childhood development. And yet statistics published by ReadAloud.org show that only 48% of young children in this country are read to each day, which according to experts, could put them at a cognitive disadvantage - from birth.
Each year, as many as 3.4 million babies miss out on this basic building block, a building block that helps with early brain development.
For the past four years, all branches of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library have participated in this program as a means of challenging those statistics.
“Studies show kids who are read to early on in life, will continue to read later in life and those kids are in a better position to excel academically because they have the necessary tools to do so,” Library Director, Mary Jean Jakubowski said.
But this challenge isn’t just about helping children developmentally, this is also a challenge that encourages families re-connect.
“Set time aside together, come to the library together. Parents, bring your children in and explore - together. Over the next 21 days, bond together, that’s also what this challenge is about,” Jakubowski continued.
The challenge is designed for families to start at their convenience. Rather than focus on the quantity of books, the goal is to focus no the quality of reading time.
As a means of encouraging moms to incorporate reading into their children’s lives at an early start, the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library is hosting an “L is for Library Baby Shower” on Saturday, October 21st from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration is required.
Expecting moms are encouraged to attend to learn more about the library and the importance of reading in an interactive environment.
For more on this program and other programming at the Buffalo & Erie County Library, visit their website.
To sign up for the 21-Day Read Aloud 15 Minutes Challenge, visit Read Aloud's website.
