Programs boost early literacy through community support
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Researchers at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School discovered that combining literacy programs with community-based support improved development in Latino children from birth to 18 months old.
The team tested a new approach by pairing reading promotion with services that connected families to resources.
They found that when doctors gave books and showed parents how to read with their children during checkups, and then families received text messages and referrals to support programs like Connecting New Jersey, parents interacted with their children more responsively. This approach also led to better social and emotional health for the children.
Previous research showed that less than one-third of U.S. fourth graders read at a proficient level, and that Black and Hispanic children are more likely to struggle with early reading. The Rutgers study builds on programs like Reach Out and Read, which promotes reading during pediatric visits, by adding extra layers of support. The researchers observed improvements in verbal responsiveness and social-emotional development nine and eighteen months after families enrolled in the combined program.
Now, doctors at Rutgers are collaborating with Reach Out and Read to train clinicians to demonstrate effective reading techniques, and to connect more families with available resources across the country.
