We believe that older kids reading at home to little pre-k brothers and sisters can be a big part of creating more successful students and raising literacy rates.
Anne Fernald recently gave a local Monterey TEDx talk highlighting the importance of one-on-one interaction in early childhood, a subject that is near and dear to our hearts. Anne is the Josephine Knotts Knowles Professor of Human Biology at Stanford University. As director of the Language Learning Lab in the Department of Psychology, she conducts experimental studies of language processing by infants and young children, as well as observational studies of parent-infant interaction.
This is an excellent presentation that is incredibly relevant to our work at the Read to Me Project. Early language engagement promotes brain development and is critical to preparing children to succeed. Anne was the subject of a recent New York Times article (Language-Gap Study Bolsters a Push for Pre-K) calling for a renewed emphasis on early childhood education funding.