Getting Children Ready to Read and Ready to Learn

Why early literacy?

Research on early literacy in young children has found important links between their ability to read and their exposure to books before they entered school. Children who begin school without an early foundation in reading are already behind their peers.

Reading problems contribute to school failure, leading to increased absenteeism, dropouts, juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, and teenage pregnancy – all of which perpetuate the cycles of poverty and dependency.

Early literacy skills make a critical difference in children’s school readiness. The Early Literacy Center helps young children build the skills they need to become successful readers now, while laying the foundation for lifelong literacy. Southwest Human Development builds on its more than 15 years of experience in promoting early literacy skills in young children to:

• Expand the Reach Out and Read program to 60 clinics and reach nearly every eligible pediatric clinic or family practice in Maricopa County
• Integrate the successful Reach Out and Read concept into all our home visitation services
• Create Libraries for Literacy in over 500 child care centers that serve more than 30,000 low-income children in our community but frequently lack children’s books or the training needed to promote early literacy.