Podcast: Parents, Books and the Roots of Literacy

Conventional wisdom tells us that children learn to read in school, but research continues to show how much the skills that influence a child’s reading success are being established long before they arrive in those pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms.

For a taste of what this research means and its implications for schools and early childhood programs, Early Ed Watch spoke with  Gabrielle Miller, a former teacher and national expert on early literacy interventions whose work has included running several initiatives for Reading is Fundamental and developing programs for the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD. Miller is now national executive director for Raising A Reader, a non-profit organization whose aim is to instill a love of reading among parents and children, especially those in poverty or who are otherwise disadvantaged. By working with Head Start centers, childcare centers, school districts and other community groups, the organization circulates 100 books each year to participating families. Family book reading and library usage has gone up among participants and a study in San Francisco County in 2003 showed that preschool children in the program scored higher than their peers on assessments of pre-reading, comprehension and book knowledge.

Early Ed Watch podcast – January 24, 2011

Podcast: Parents, Books and the Roots of Literacy

With our guest Gabrielle E. Miller, National Executive Director of Raising A Reader.