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BOOK stands for Books Open to Our Kids, and our goal at BOOK is to promote early-literacy for very young children and also to help parents understand the importance of reading to their children.
Recent research indicates that reading to very young children is important because it helps children’s brain development. Early childhood researcher Dr. Dawn Ramsburg points out that historically we used the term "reading readiness" to describe the early years as preparation for reading. Now, we use the term "emergent literacy" to characterize these early activities as part of a continuum of reading development, rather than as preparation for it (Ramsburg 1998).
Dr. Lesley Morrow of Rutgers University has gathered and conducted research showing that literacy learning begins in infancy, and parents and caregivers need to provide a rich literacy environment to help children acquire literacy skills.
Whether they are from upper or lower–income families, there is no dif
ference when you compare the love that parents have for their children. However, researchers have found that “…the ratio of books to children in middle-income neighborhoods is approximately 13 books to 1 child, and the ratio in low-income neighborhoods is 1 book to 300 children” (Neuman and Dickinson 2006).
Our goal at BOOK is to reach these children and their families. We do this by providing new books to local medical clinics to give out to low-income families. Volunteers from our community then go into the clinics to read to the children as they are waiting for their appointments. This models reading aloud to both the parents and the children, which is very important in nurturing early literacy development.
VCLC is currently seeking volunteers to read to children in local low-income medical clinics. No experience is required, only a desire to help build an appreciation for reading in children.
Want to be a BOOK Reader? Call Irene at
999-9877 or e-mail
igogal@valencialiteracy.org.
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