Research shows that almost 1 in 5 parents do not see the benefit of reading to a child before they are at an age when they can sit up or talk and 1 in 4 parents struggle with reading and so do not read to their children at all.
A study commissioned by a leading online provider of educational and fiction books has revealed that 1 in 5 parents with children under 5 years of age do not think there is any benefit of reading to children before they can walk or talk. In addition, almost 1 in 4 parents either do not enjoy reading, or struggle with reading and so put no time aside for reading with their child.
http://www.alltopbooks.com/ surveyed over 640 UK parents, with children under 5 years of age, revealing the amount of time they spend reading with their children per week. The following results were found;
34.4% spent no time reading to their children at all
50.5% of parents spent 0.5 hours -1 hour reading to their children each week
11.2% spent 2-3 hours reading to their children each week
3.9% spent 3.5 hours or more reading to their children each week
Therefore, over 50% of parents only spend a maximum of 8.5 minutes reading to their children each day and, more surprisingly, over 34% of parents spend no time reading to their children at all. Only 3.9% of parents spend the recommended maximum2 3.5 hours reading to their children each week, an average of 30 minutes every day.
Dilip Sinha, All Top Books Managing Director, comments;
"I am a passionate believer that reading to a young child, no matter how young they are, will help them grow, develop and bond with their parents. To discover that such a high percentage of parents don’t read to their children at all is really disappointing; reading to a child is like opening a door to a big and exciting world, allowing them to hear sounds and see pictures that they may not get to see otherwise."
Sinha continues;
"I have known children as young as 4 months old to show an interest in books, and children who cannot yet talk to make a 'moo’ noise when they see a picture of a cow; for so many parents to think it is pointless to read to a child before they can talk is very concerning."
The results highlight the factors preventing parents from spending more time reading to their children. Almost half (49.7%) are too busy with work and family commitments to read to their children any more than they already do, but all of the 49.7% of respondents wished they could spend more time reading to their children, with one participant commenting, "I finish work, pick up the kids, clean the house, cook the dinner, bath them and then they’re asleep; If I attempted to read to them after all that, I’d be asleep as well!".
Despite proven statistics1, showing that parental involvement with reading from a very young age, could stimulate and develop a baby’s brain, 19.6% of parents do not see the point of reading to a small child, and 24.8% of parents do not like reading; 9.9% of which admitted to have difficulty reading, and so did not read to their children at all.
In total, a potential 44.4% of young children, not only miss out on the educational side of reading but also the interaction and excitement of their favourite voice reading them a fun and exciting story.
More significantly, 18.9% of these children were 3 to 4 years of age and consequently should be preparing to cope with the demands of their formal literacy education; their peers are likely to already have a favourite book, a preference for certain pictures and an understanding of numbers, letters and colours.
Only about 1 in 17 parents felt satisfied with the amount of time they spent reading with their children, all of which spent at least 2 hours per week, approximately 17 minutes reading with their children per day.
1 - http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/familyreading/parents/whyread.html
2 - http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/all_reading/reading_babies.html
Source: All Top Books (http://www.alltopbooks.com/)
1 In 5 Parents Do Not See The Point of Reading to their Children
Young Readers Kick Off LeapFrog 1 Million Reading Hours Literacy Campaign
This summer students could lose their hard-won academic skills earned during the school year. A recent report by the Canadian Council on Learning on Summer Learning Loss, states that during the summer students typically lose on average the equivalent of one month of instruction. In an effort to keep Canadian children learning and reading over the summer, LeapFrog Canada launched their 1 Million Reading Hours literacy campaign for children today.
Along with their parents, children can pledge to read 15 minutes a day over the summer, with the goal of generating 1 Million Reading Hours in Canada. The 1 Million Reading Hours program is designed to help reduce the number of children who leave elementary school without the literacy skills required to succeed in higher grades.
"We've pledged to help Canadian children stay engaged with the page this summer," said Gord Terry, General Manger, LeapFrog Canada. "Reading just a few minutes a day can go a long way in building a child's enthusiasm for learning. With their pledge, parents can make this a storybook summer with their children."
More than one hundred young readers from the identified under represented and high priority areas of the Greater Toronto Area will kick off the campaign at the Indigo flagship store at Bloor and Bay Streets. The children will participate in a story time and will contribute 25 reading hours to the 1 Million Reading Hours goal set for the entire nation.
"We are delighted to participate in this project which reinforces our commitment to helping children develop a love of reading," said Heather Reisman, CEO of Indigo Books & Music Inc.
Throughout the summer LeapFrog Canada will be working with schools across Canada in addition to hosting several literacy themed events. Participants can pledge towards the 1 Million Reading Hours goal online at www.leapfrog.ca. Schools representing several provinces, including Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, the Northwest Territories, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan, have already committed to 1 Million Reading Hours campaign.
Reading Between the Lines
To facilitate this campaign and to encourage the love of reading, LeapFrog has introduced new learn-to-read technology called the Tag Reading System. The Tag handheld works with Tag-enabled books to create an independent and interactive reading experience for children. By simply touching the highly responsive Tag reader anywhere on any page of a Tag book, children can bring their favorite stories to life, easily skipping from page to page or book to book.
The pocket-sized Tag platform "reads" by using a small, sophisticated infrared camera that works as an imaging system to recognize letters, words and symbols printed on the page. Using the PC- and Mac compatible LeapFrog® Connect Application, parents can download audio for each book in the Tag library, then manage content the way they manage MP3 or digital camera files. With 16 MB of on-board flash memory, the Tag reader can hold up to five books at a time.
"As a pioneer in electronic learning, LeapFrog is proud and uniquely qualified to announce delivery of the next big innovation in the learn-to-read category: the Tag Reading System," said Gord Terry, General Manger, LeapFrog Canada. "The Tag handheld is an entirely re-invented learning product designed for a new generation of young readers. Since it comes from LeapFrog, parents can trust that it provides rigorous educational value and years of fun."
All-New Proprietary LeapFrog Learning Path Lets Parents See the Learning
Launching in tandem with the Tag Reading System is LeapFrog's proprietary Learning Path, a free online tool that interfaces with LeapFrog products to show parents what their child is learning and how their activities or games map back to the scope and sequence of educational skills that LeapFrog has always built into every product. New online connectivity also allows children to access fun online rewards for offline play and learning.
The LeapFrog Learning Path allows parents to connect the Tag handheld to their computer to view details about the books their child has read, including the skills explored and progress made.
Beloved Classics and Favorite Characters Come to Life
The Tag Reading System works with a diverse 18-volume library of children's classic books such as Olivia and The Little Engine that Could, as well as activity storybooks with characters such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Diego. For the Tag library, LeapFrog has partnered with publishers HarperCollins, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic and others to showcase beloved characters such as Fancy Nancy, Walter the Farting Dog and Miss Spider.
AVAILABILITY
SUMMER 2008; AGES 4-8; Tag Reading System MSRP: $59.99; Tag Books and Activity Boards MSRP: $14.99 each; http://www.leapfrog.ca/.
Nonprofit Organizations Can Apply for $325,000 in Grants
Thanks to the generosity of Verizon customers who participated in the company's Check Into Literacy program, nonprofit literacy organizations in New Jersey are now eligible to receive a total of $325,000 in grants.
The Check Into Literacy initiative allows Verizon landline phone customers to make a convenient $1-a-month, tax-deductible donation to support literacy programs when customers pay their Verizon bill. Grant awards will range from $1,000 to $25,000. Since the program began in New Jersey in 2000, nearly $1 million has been collected for the Check Into Literacy program.
Eligible nonprofit organizations in the state can submit proposals via e-mail. More information about the grants, including application instructions and forms, can be found at http://www.verizonnj.com/.
To qualify for funding, applicants must be a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization providing basic reading skills and computer and Web-based literacy programs to New Jersey residents in underserved communities in Verizon's landline service territory. Grant proposals must be submitted by midnight July 31, 2008. Verizon plans to announce grant recipients on or around Sept. 30.
"A dollar a month may not seem like much, but it can go a long way to improving literacy skills in local communities and giving people the opportunity to succeed" said Dennis Bone, president of Verizon New Jersey. "Literacy is the foundation of a successful future, and Verizon is proud to partner with our customers to assist literacy organizations throughout New Jersey"
This year, nonprofit organizations in 26 states and Washington, D.C., will receive more than $1.15 million to bolster literacy efforts. The participating states are: Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
Low literacy levels threaten Canada's economic future
ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation believes the Canadian Council on Learning's Reading the Future offers a clear picture of Canada's low literacy levels. According to Reading the Future, the forecasted number of Canadians with low skills will increase by more than three million to 15 million by 2031.
"The Canadian economy will suffer as the number of Canadians with low literacy skills increases, so we need to prepare workers for shifts in their industry and new technologies," says Margaret Eaton, president of ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation.
ABC CANADA thinks Reading the Future offers feasible recommendations based on the perspective that Canada's economic and social well-being, health and competitiveness are strongly linked to literacy levels. The creation of accessible literacy programs that address the needs of the individuals facing literacy challenges today is key. Reading the Future profiles these Canadians as employed and unaware of the extent of their literacy challenges. It also explains that those with low literacy skills have mastered the mechanics of reading, but lack the ability to deal with complex texts. This means millions of Canadians will not be able to carry out the tasks required in the emerging economy.
"It is becoming increasingly clear that Canadian businesses and governments need to make an investment if the country is to stay competitive," states Eaton. "We know from the report that a large percentage of those with low literacy skills are employed, so the workplace is the ideal venue to address literacy training. This is underscored by the report's strong recommendation for upgrading programs supported by the private and public sector."
Children In Non-English-Speaking Households Experience Multiple Health Disparities
Children in U.S. households where English is not the primary language experience multiple disparities in health care, a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher has found.
In a study available in June's online issue of Pediatrics, Dr. Glenn Flores, professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern and lead author, used statistics from the National Survey of Children's Health to examine whether disparities exist for non-English primary language (NEPL) children in medical and dental health compared to households where English is the primary language.
"Although 55 million Americans speak a language other than English at home, there has been little research on health disparities and NEPL children," said Dr. Flores, who holds the Judith and Charles Ginsburg Chair in Pediatrics at UT Southwestern. "To my knowledge this is the first analysis to examine the impact of NEPL on medical and dental health, access to care and use of services in a nationally representative sample of U.S. children."
Conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, the survey used nationwide random sampling of households with children ages 18 and under. One child from each household was selected as the survey subject with 102,353 interviews of household caregivers completed in 2003 and 2004 in both English and Spanish. The survey is the largest and most diverse containing data on the primary languages spoken at home.
The researchers found that children in households where English is not the primary language are significantly more likely than children in English-speaking households to be poor and Latino or Asian/Pacific Islander. The NEPL children are also more likely to be overweight, have only fair or poor dental health, and be uninsured or sporadically insured. These children also made no medical or preventive dental visits during the previous year and had problems attaining specialty care.
"These children are more likely to live in low-income households," said Dr. Flores, who also serves as director of the division of general pediatrics at Children's Medical Center Dallas. "Clinicians providing care for them should make sure caregivers are aware of programs documented to benefit poor children. Providing all children with health and dental insurance could significantly reduce barriers to health and dental care for NEPL children."
Nonfinancial-related barriers appeared also to hamper NEPL children's access to care. The survey showed that caregivers in NEPL households were often dissatisfied with physicians and health care providers who did not spend enough time with a child or explain things in an understandable way.
To identify, monitor and eliminate health care disparities, Dr. Flores recommends health care institutions and systems routinely collect data on the primary language spoken at home for all patients. He says improved access to medical interpreters, better cultural competency training and more family-centered health care systems could eliminate barriers to care.
In a previous study, Dr. Flores surveyed hospitals in New Jersey to assess current language services and identify policy recommendations on meeting the needs of patients with limited English proficiency.
He found that most New Jersey hospitals had no full-time interpreters, multilingual hospital signage or translation services. A substantial majority of the hospitals' representatives surveyed stated that third-party reimbursements for interpreter services would benefit their hospitals.
"In Texas alone, 7.3 million families speak languages other than English at home," Dr. Flores said. "It's imperative that our health care system recognizes on a nationwide scale how language is affecting health care for NEPL children."
Sandra Tomany-Korman of Signature Science, LLC, also contributed to the Pediatrics study.
Source: http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/
Spanish-Language Literacy Programs at Feria del Libro: A Family Book Fair
At today's Feria del Libro: A Family Book Fair, the Pearson Foundation announced its launch of Spanish language versions of the popular literacy programs Jumpstart's Read for the Record and the Pearson Family Book Nights.
Jumpstart's third Read for the Record event takes place on Oct. 2, 2008. By encouraging hundreds of thousands of children and adults to read, Jumpstart aims to break the world record for the number of people reading the same book on the same day, and to make early education a national priority. This year, children, parents, educators, and school and political leaders in communities around the world will read the Penguin classic Corduroy to highlight the importance of early literacy. Read for the Record events are already being planned within the Los Angeles area, and the Pearson Foundation will provide Spanish versions of Corduroy for each of them. As Founding Partner and National Sponsor of Read for the Record, Pearson has raised more than $2 million to support Jumpstart's work in early childhood education.
Pearson Family Book Night brings families together in early childhood centers to share in the joy of reading and learn first-hand about the long-term importance that active, repeated family reading can have in their child's personal and cognitive development. During the two-hour event, children and their families share books and read together, and parents learn simple reading techniques they can employ to help their children. Across Los Angeles, Family Book Nights resume this Fall, and the Pearson Foundation will offer special Spanish-speaking activities and supports for children and their families in select locations.
A community-wide event hosted this year at Los Angeles City Hall, Feria del Libro: A Family Book Fair makes quality, culturally relevant books available to children of all ages and their families. The fair is the culmination of the Million Word Challenge, a literacy campaign promoting a culture of literacy at home and academic achievement at school.
Website: http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/
Reading Adventure, a new summer reading program
Summer may mean the end of school and time for play, but it also offers the exciting world of possibilities for reading. Huntington Learning Center is inviting their students on an adventure – a reading adventure!
Reading Adventure is a Huntington summer reading program that builds on themes of discovery and exploration to dramatize how books can transport the reader to a new world of adventure. The first step is for the child to choose one or more books from the provided lists of books that highlight appropriate reading for each grade level. Giving the child the ability to choose the book encourages them to read for pleasure based on their interests. The chosen books are entered into a "passport" and the journey begins. Once a book is read, the child completes a journal and receives a postcard for that book to motivate continued reading and most importantly, to have the child look to reading as a way of exploring new people, places and interests.
"The Reading Adventure program was designed to not only encourage reading, but get students excited about it. Students and teachers discuss what they've read and the joy of reading becomes evident," said Eileen Huntington, co-founder of Huntington Learning Centers. "Their investments of time and energy have yielded tremendous positive results in terms of improved reading ability."
Students' hard work lead up to a celebration in honor of their achievements in the Reading Adventure program at Huntington Learning Centers. Each student who participated in the program will receive a certificate of accomplishment and a trophy to commemorate their success in reading books for their enjoyment over the summer.
"Reading Adventure can be as successful as the child's imagination can expand," Huntington said. "It offers a chance for students to enhance their reading skills and then enter the new school year prepared."
For more information about Reading Adventure, or Huntington Learning Center, visit http://www.huntingtonlearning.com/.
