BEGIN WITH BOOKS / Parent Reading Tips

Why is it So Important to get Kids Hooked on Books? "Books, books, I love books; The way they feel and smell and look. From my first look I was hooked on books, books, books!" Dolly sang this sweet little ditty during her acceptance speech on receiving this year's Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in October.  Her Imagination Library continues to grow, mailing out about 2 million free books each month to children around the world. Fostering a love of reading and getting children hooked on books early is her passion.  Shortly after the Carnegie award, billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, honored her with the Bezos 2022 Award for Courage and Civility , worth $100 million.  Dolly graciously accepted saying, "I always try to put my money where my heart is and I'm going to do my best to do good things with this money."  Through her Imagination Library she will get many more children hooked on books and that is a  very good thing! Starting a regular reading h...

The Word Gap? What is it and how do we go about closing it?  Perhaps you've heard it referred to as the 30-million word gap .  It's a catchphrase that's been circulating for years.  But what does it really mean? The phrase itself originated from a landmark study done over 25 years ago that compared the language development and reading achievement of children from different socioeconomic backgrounds.  The researchers observed a large group of 7-month-old babies for one hour per day for two and a half years, until the children reached three years old.  Everything the baby heard or said was recorded.  ALL words were counted, duplicates and all.  The results were shocking.  Youngsters growing up in more well-off homes heard 30-million more words over two and a half years than those living in poorer households.  They also heard these words in a more conversational style compared to children in less well-to-do homes.  There was also a stron...

A regular reading habit gets your child ready for school -- By the time a child starts kindergarten, he will have passed through a great many developmental milestones.   The vast majority of children arrive with the foundational skills they need to start their learning journey.  However, to ensure that all children come to school ready to learn, many school districts across the country assess kindergarten readiness upon entry, to identify those children who may benefit from some extra help.  Charleston County uses The Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning™, Fourth Edition (DIAL™-4) .   This screening tool targets five key developmental areas: motor , language , concepts , social-emotional, and self-help .  It provides guideposts for what children should know, and the skills they should have, to hit the ground running. The sooner developmental concerns are flagged, and supports put in place, the more likely a child is to catch up and keep...