Key to reading success:

One simple habit, begin early

Brought to you by Read20, building a community of readers.

What’s the best way to ensure that your child succeeds in reading? Put a book in her hand every day—starting when she is very, very young.

It’s critical for children to have direct access to early reading opportunities and books. In fact, research shows that the most successful way to improve the reading achievement of children is to increase their access to books.

Research also tells us that a little over half of all American children under age 5—52.2 percent—are not read to every day by someone in their lives.

One simple way every parent can help build a child’s earldy reading skills is to provide him with age-appropriate books to read. Owning and reading books fosters children’s basic reading skills, builds their appreciation for books, creates a desire to learn, and has a lifelong impact.

Did you know that children who are read to at least three times a week are almost twice as likely to score in the top 25 percent in reading compared to children who are not read to? And the benefits of regular reading are apparent even in the youngest children. Studies show that 2-year-olds who are read to regularly display greater language comprehension, larger vocabularies, and higher cognitive skills than those who aren’t.

So just imagine the impact of reading to a child for just 20 minutes a day, every day, for years!

Read 20 encourages adults to read with a child every day for 20 minutes a day or more.