Wondering how to help your child love reading?  "S tart reading to your children from the time they're born." [1]  Most of us remember a time when we sat together and read a book with a child - sometimes the same book over and over. Research shows that any type of reading with a child has a positive impact on their ability to read and their vocabulary as they grow.

 

A new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics[2] shows that by the age of two, differences can be seen between those children who are read to and those who are not. Justice and Ezel[3] looked at the impact of print referencing with children from lower socio-economic backgrounds. They found that those who focused on print made significantly more gains in print recognition and the alphabet than those who did not. While the act of reading - in any form - helps children to read, how one goes about it can have an even greater impact on children's early language nutrition and later literacy.

 

Sit Together and Read (STAR) - a program developed by The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology - is a guide for parents, educators and early childhood staff on how to read to our youngest learners. Rooted in evidence-based practices and designed to develop and strengthen young children's awareness and knowledge of print, STAR provides specific strategies that have been found to be helpful in classrooms. Many Stark school districts and early childhood centers have adopted the STAR program and incorporate these strategies in their instruction.

 

STAR materials [4] can be "checked out" from the Stark County District Main Library, purchased from the Early Childhood Resource Center, and are available online free to parents and educators. There are also professional development and Ohio Approved/SUTQ credit hours available for teachers for a fee.

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