Read Across America

Editor,

Celebrate the 19th Annual Read Across America on Thursday, March 2, by reading to your young children and making it something you do with them every day.

Read Across America was created by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1998 as an annual way to celebrate the importance of reading on a most appropriate day — the birthday of Theodore Geisel, better known as the beloved children’s author, Dr. Seuss.

Forty-five million readers, young and old, participated in last year’s celebration, and even more are anticipated to take part this year.

Reading to young children is one of the most important activities you can do. It is a pillar of First 5 California’s efforts to help California’s youngest succeed in life. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, less than 60 percent of children between the ages of 3 to 5 are read to on a daily basis.

Reading to your child, even when they are babies, helps increase their vocabulary, and stimulate brains to grow stronger and smarter. Studies show kids whose parents read to them frequently have much larger vocabularies by the time they go to school than children who have not been read to on a regular basis.

Reading to your young children also builds a lifelong appreciation for books and reading, expands their knowledge base about the world, and most importantly, promotes a bond and closeness.

So put on your red and white stripped top hat, find a favorite book, and spend some time reading to your young child. It’s a treasured moment you can share not just on March 2, but day after day, year after year.

You can find out more about Read Across America at nea.org/ readacross. Diane Levin First 5 California