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Early Literacy Parent Page

Parents are their child's very first teacher. The following resources offer tips to help stimulate brain development and encourage lifelong reading skills in their children. 

Reading and sharing books with children, especially during the critical developmental ages of newborn to five years old, is vitally important. Reading with children increases awareness of the rhythm and sound of words, sentence structure and vocabulary that lays the foundation for reading and school success. 

Learning to read begins far before children enter formal schooling. Babies are born learning. What young children learn in their first five years becomes the foundation for how they learn, manage their emotions, cope with stress, relate to others and handle life in the future.

Children need parents and caregivers who  talk, sing and read to them daily. Research shows that children most at risk for reading failure are those who enter school with limited exposure to literacy-related activities. Children who have stimulating literacy experiences from birth onward enter school with larger vocabularies, better listening skills, and enhanced memory and imagination. 

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."

Emilie Buchwald 

Reading Is A Family Affair

  • Grow a reader by reading with your child every day
  • Read to your newborn. Babies are never too young
  • Read chapter books aloud to school-age children
  • Encourage your kids to spend time reading and looking at books
  • Let your children see you reading
  • Talk with your children about what they are reading
  • Reading helps improve children's writing and vocabulary skills
  • Kids read more when they listen to and discuss books
  • Reading skills grow by reading
  • Read everything: books, magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes, road signs
  • Attend children's programs at the library

5 Finger Rule

Early Childhood Literacy Websites

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

Camp Wonderopolis

Fred Rogers Center

MeL Kids - activities, games music, puzzles, read-aloud stories and videos. Lesson plans for parents, teachers and homeschooling families provide a path to follow in child development.  

Reading Rockets

StoryBlocks: short videos demonstrating a rhyme or song along with an early literacy tip for parents and teachers.  Select from three age groups: babies, toddlers and preschoolers. 

Children With Special Needs

If your child has special needs, learning differences or a disability, your child qualifies for FREE books and equipment. 

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It doesn't matter if you read with your eyes, ears or fingertips...just READ.