Plant a Seed …READ partners with Read Aloud 15 MINUTES for national campaign

From Plant a Seed … READ

Each year, as many as 3.4 million babies miss out on a basic building block for early brain development: They aren’t read aloud to beginning at birth.

Reading aloud from birth plays a vital role in a child’s brain development, cultivating the language and literacy skills necessary for school and learning readiness. Only 15 percent of parents read aloud from birth, however, and only 8 percent report doing so for 15 minutes a day, according to a survey conducted by YouGov for Read Aloud 15 MINUTES.

Throughout October, national literacy organization Read Aloud 15 MINUTES hopes to change those statistics with its 21-Day Challenge. Read Aloud is partnering with children’s book authors and grassroots allies such as Plant a Seed … READ, schools, libraries and health care providers, to challenge parents and caregivers to include 15 minutes of reading aloud in their daily routine for 21 days straight.

Guidelines for the 21-Day Read Aloud Challenge:

• Accept the challenge by posting a photo or video of you reading aloud to your child on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Please tag @ReadAloud and #21DayReadAloud.

• Challenge three more parents with a child from birth to age 8 to accept the #21DayReadAloud Challenge and pass it on.

•  Keep track of your progress on the 21-Day Tracker and post tips from our 21-Day Content Calendar available at http://www.readaloud.org/21daychallenge.html.