“Let’s Stop Talking About the Thirty-Million Word Gap,” published June 1 on NPR Ed’s website, took a fresh look at what has become a familiar phrase. Citing two recent studies that attempt to quantify, with modern technology and larger sample sizes, the number of words heard by children of varying socio-economic levels, the article also addresses the “whole idea of a gap,” quoting criticism that views “the ‘word gap’concept as racially and culturally loaded in a way that ultimately hurts the children whom early intervention programs [are] ostensibly trying to help.”…

Improved social-emotional competence.
Improved quality of life.
Increased interest in reading in children.

A new study in Pediatrics featuring Reach Out and Read
proves that the benefits of our model extend beyond literacy and help set children up for success.…

A guest blog written by Donna Lowry, MD, President and CEO of Ready for School, Holland, MI.

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Starting with just one provider in 2010, Ready for School of Holland and Zeeland Michigan, believed that Reach Out and Read would support its community wide commitment to kindergarten readiness.…

Extending our program to the first few months in accordance with research demonstrating the importance of the first few months to a child’s foundation for success.

A guest blog from Teandra Ramos-Hardy, MSW, Director of Medical Engagement for Reach Out and Read Carolinas

We know from research that brains are built over time through a process that begins prenatally.…

A guest blog post by Michelle Steffen, MD, FAAP,
Pediatrician, Riverside Pediatrics, Georgetown, SC, and Lauren
Barone, MPH, Manager, Oral Health Initiatives, American Academy of
Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, IL

IMGWe
know good habits start early. From good nutrition to early
literacy, the foundation for health is laid even before birth.…

Reach Out and Read partners, Nemours BrightStart! have released the 2nd Annual Reading Readiness Snapshot for America’s Preschoolers – a guest blog post from Laura Bailet and Kathy Ingram at Nemours BrightStart!

Learning to read is a challenging task for the brain, and one of the most important developmental tasks facing young children.…

Screen-Free Week is approaching! From May 1-7 share in the joys of life beyond the screen and engage in activities that prepare your child for the future–such as reading! A guest blog post from Jean Rogers at Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood!…

New research shows that positive parenting can overcome the
effects of poverty on healthy brain development in
adolescents. In a
report published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association, Brody and colleagues described a neuroimaging study
demonstrating that supportive parenting prevented the reduced
growth of certain areas of the brain that occurred as a response to
living in poverty.…

A guest blog written by Rachelle Wilber, a freelance writer.

Today, fairy tales may just be something your kids want to hear over and over again before bedtime, but modern stories that are beloved by children like the wildly acclaimed “Frozen” can be traced back thousands of years.…