Building a foundation for reading

January 11, 2008 11:42 pm

— It’s a simple message that makes so much sense. Reading to babies and children is good for their brain development and intensifies the bond between the child and parent.
But unfortunately, it doesn’t happen enough. The importance of reading can be brushed aside as parents work to get through busy days that often have little time for reading booked in.
That’s where the Clinton Rotary Club comes in.
The Clinton Rotary Club is kicking off the first phase of its literacy project with baskets of books for the first babies of 2008. Club members and the Rotary Board have designated children’s literacy as their first priority and there are community service projects to help Clinton-area parents recognize the importance of reading as a part of their child’s development.
It’s the group’s first step to make sure children are prepared for school. The first phase of the project will provide a book to each new baby born at Mercy Medical Center during the next year. The second phase of the literacy project will be more comprehensive and engage parents of both newborns and young toddlers.
Instructive labeling on each book will encourage parents to read to their baby, reminding them that their baby loves the sound of their voice, and that reading will assist in developing bonding. At the same time, the colors, words and pictures in the book assist in the baby’s brain development.
Kudos to the club as well as the High Risk Pregnancy Task Force of the Clinton County Board of Health and Mercy Medical Center, which both assisted in the project. The foundation that is being laid today will make a difference in lives of these babies as they grow into children and productive adults.