|
Article Audio:
|
NISKAYUNA – Bellevue Women’s Center and the Schenectady County Public Library have launched, Books for Babies at Bellevue.
The program will provide new parents with a children’s book and information to help promote childhood literacy. Books for Babies at Bellevue was launched through the Schenectady Takes Action for Reading Success (STARS) program, a collaborative action campaign led by the library to spread free and diverse children’s books through the city.
It is all about getting books into families hands, explained Schenectady County Public Library coordinator of youth services, Kaela Wallman.
“What research shows is that one-in-five children don’t have a book of their own at home,” Wallman said. “What that means is they’re not being read aloud to. And, reading aloud between one and three years of age is one of the most effective ways for parents to build literacy skills that are critical for school readiness.”
The program will give families at Bellevue Women’s Center a STARS book to read to their child. Families will receive a list of best practices for shared reading, tools for engaging in literacy-rich activities, and information on how to connect with the public library, and other community agencies working with early literacy. Each book also will be bilingual.
Giving new parents simple tools, encouraging them to talk with their little ones, sing and read aloud makes a huge difference in how prepared a child will be for school, Wallman explained.
Bellevue Women’s Center sees about 2,000 babies born each year, Director of Nursing at Ellis Medicine’s Bellevue Women’s Center, Jackie Montgomery said.
“Early literacy is so important to us, there’s really no way to overstate how critical it is to teach them those language skills,” Montgomery said. “Those skills that they’re going to take forward for the rest of their lives.”
Books for Babies at Bellevue is funded by longtime Ellis and Bellevue supporters Neil and Mona Golub, in memory of the late Jane Golub, as well as 1st National Bank of Scotia, with support from the Wildwood Program. SCPL is serving as the lead organization in securing funding, processing the books, and coordinating volunteers.
“It’s never too early to start, not only reading, but singing, and communicating, non-verbal communication, facial expressions,” Schenectady County Legislator and Chair of the Education and Libraries Committee, Sara Mae Pratt said. “All of these are so important from a very young age, to really get the ball rolling with early childhood education.”
The first three years of a child’s life are the most intensive period for speech and language development, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. They report that one of the best ways to expose young children to language is by reading aloud.
“Literacy is a public health issue, and at Bellevue, we want to give all of our newborns the best possible start in life,” said Paul Milton, President & CEO of Ellis Medicine in a statement. “We know it is as important to nourish a child’s brain as it is to nourish their body. Reading to a young child also strengthens the parent-child relationship at a critical time in the child’s development. This is why we are excited to work with STARS to bring books and vital literacy information to our new parents.”
The STARS program has distributed over 10,000 books since it began in 2017.
Categories: -News-, News, Schenectady County, Your Niskayuna
