Story written by Ashley Winters and published in the St. Louis American:
Teaching children to read at an early age is not only fundamental, it’s also a major boost to their overall pediatric health care.
According to an American Academy of Pediatrics study, parents should begin reading to children at birth.
Ready Readers Executive Director Angela Sears Spittal says early literacy directly connects to pediatric health care. Shared reading helps develop social and emotional development in toddlers, she said.
“We know that literacy is a health issue,” Sears Spitall said.
The AAP research shows that it is helpful for pediatricians to offer literacy promotion as a “practical and evidence-based primary prevention strategy in primary care practice to support early brain and child development.”
The study shows frequent reading sessions with infants and young children strengthens their relationships with parents and caregivers at a critical time in child development. It stimulates brain circuitry and early attachment.
Reading time for parents and caregivers of young children should include books in bright colors, big visuals, simple words, rhymes, and contrasting colors. In other words, reading should be fun and interesting.
“Children should see themselves in the book,” said Sears Spittal.
She said when a pre-k student brings a book to you, they are looking for a story, and bonding time. The connection helps them remain calm and creates a sense of security and reading time helps prepare them for school readiness.
Reading helps build the foundation for healthy cognitive, language, and literacy development, setting the stage for school readiness and benefits that will last a lifetime.
The pandemic is still wreaking havoc on societal norms, including the development of early childhood learners. Many preschoolers are behind in their social and emotional skills, and early childhood educators say they are encountering more “temper tantrums.”
The National Institute of Health report shows that during the pandemic many school learning materials moved to digital formats including storybooks and textbooks. Children learned to use digital platforms for completing assignments and had fewer opportunities for reading and writing on paper. Handwriting was a fine motor skill that certainly suffered during the pandemic for many children.
Research from the First Five Years Fund shows infants and toddlers during the pandemic spent most of their earliest years at home, with limited opportunities to socialize or gain critical relationship skills. While many students have experienced academic “learning losses,” the impact on social development among young children may be more severe in the long term than currently understood.
Infants and toddlers had limited social interaction and play-based learning, and many experienced high levels of stress. Young children who have experienced pandemic-related chronic stress and trauma without the buffer of a nurturing, supportive relationship can face an increased risk of developing emotional, behavioral, and cognitive problems.
According to the research, babies born during the pandemic scored lower in gross motor, fine motor, and social-emotional development than babies born before the pandemic. Children with poor or underdeveloped social and emotional skills display more challenging behavior, including anger, withdrawal, anxiety, and aggression. Many skills are gained and strengthened in interactions with others and early learning settings, and thus they are also key predictors of school readiness, future academic achievement, and positive life outcomes.
Ready Readers has partnered with teachers and parents to help counter some of the negative developments from the pandemic by teaching parents that literacy is beyond a book. Sears Spittal suggests reading signs during a walk or car ride, pointing out letters asking kids what sound it makes, or naming something that starts with that letter. “Take reading beyond the book to whatever the child is interested in,” Sears Spittal said.
The literacy initiative program delivers high-quality new books to each classroom several times per year. Children receive their copies to keep and enjoy with their families at home. Teachers receive a classroom copy to have ready during reading time.
The non-profit has weekly reading and book programs, workshops, training for volunteer readers and teachers, and literacy-themed events outside the class all help to close the literacy gap. Over the last 25 years, Ready Readers has distributed 1 million books, focusing on under-resourced communities and providing culturally diverse books.
“Those early years are so important,” said Sears Spittal.
To help close the literacy gap, whether it is due to poor environments or remnants of the pandemic, Sears Spittal advises limited screen time and hopes to encourage more pediatricians to talk with families about reading aloud to babies and toddlers.