Resources for Residents
1. Change the First Five Years and you change everything video (4 min.) by www.OunceofPrevention.org
2. The Milestones of Early Literacy Development (found here )
3. Reach Out and Read’s Research Summary outlines the evidence base for Reach Out and Read
4. TED TALK -- “The Linguistic Genius of Babies” by Patricia K Kuhl, PhD 13 min.
5. Explore the resources offered by Harvard’s Center for the Developing Child (Jack P Shonkoff, MD) http://developingchild.harvard.edu/
6. AAP’s Literacy Tool Kit and EBCD modules
7. Check out Annie E. Casey Kids Count Data http://datacenter.kidscount.org/ regarding children’s well-being in the U.S. Find your state’s stats and especially check out your state’s NAEP scores (the Nation’s Report Card) which statistics underscore the need for early literacy interventions.
8. Zero to Three has an enormous cache of information. One great example is an infographic about screen use with young children at http://www.zerotothree.org/parenting-resources/screen-sense/5-myths-infographic.pdf, along with a vast array of developmental information.
9. The Thirty Million Word Initiative at http://thirtymillionwords.org/ offers resources and tools for closing the achievement gap and giving children the best start in life.
10. Reach Out and Read’s Developmental Disabilities Literacy Promotion Guide for Pediatric Health Care Providers contains valuable messages for encouraging literacy, tailored for parents of children with special needs.
11. What Children Like in Books http://www.reachoutandread.org/FileRepository/WhatChildrenLikeinBooks.pdf is a handy reference for both parents and providers.
And of course, reiterate the simple messages below:
1. Right from birth, babies are listening, looking, and learning. Babies want their parents’ voice, so sing, talk, play, and read aloud! Books are an excellent way for babies to hear language early and often. (SES alone does not foster the word acquisition gap; the number -- and variety – of words a child hears matters.)
2. Continual serve and return (back and forth) interactions between adult and child (and between child and adult) are imperative for brain stimulation and growth. Talk with -- and respond to -- your child throughout childhood. Books foster conversation and expose children to rich vocabulary.
3. When reading aloud, remind parents to use dialogic reading skills, i.e., ask who, what, where and open-ended questions … and give the child time to answer. This process begins early, with pointing at and naming objects.
4. Foundational literacy skills are essential for kindergarten and later school success. Books offer rich vocabulary and stimulate phonological awareness and letter knowledge.
5. Turn off the T.V. and put down hand-held screens.