Grassley Promotes Early Reading Programs Through "Prescribe a Book Act"

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GRASSLEY PROMOTES EARLY READING PROGRAMS THROUGH "PRESCRIBE A BOOK ACT"

Senator Introduces Legislation to Authorize Grant Program

Senator Chuck Grassley today said too many children do not develop the early literacy skills they need before they enter school.

Grassley's concerns have led him to introduce legislation with Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island to authorize a competitive grant program to support research-based pediatric early literacy programs.

"Research shows that reading aloud to children from an early age is vitally important to their development. We've seen programs such as Reach Out and Read have a tremendous impact on kids who are in danger of falling behind, even before they reach school age," Grassley said. "Studies show that children acquire language skills at an increased rate the earlier they are exposed to books and reading."

Grassley has long been a supporter of public-private partnerships that support efforts to prepare young children to be fully equipped to enter school. He has led efforts in the Senate to gain funding for the Reach Out and Read Program, a national, non-profit organization that provides books to children at pediatric check-ups from six months to five years of age, with a special emphasis on at-risk children.

"The public-private partnerships that these funds could help form may mean a difference in a child entering school at an equal level as his classmates or starting behind from the beginning," Grassley said.

For example, Reach Out and Read has trained more than 46,000 doctors and nurses nationwide to advise parents about the importance of reading aloud to children. The program is located at more than 3,200 sites and reaches 2.8 million children each year with positive results. Children served by the Reach Out and Read Program show an increase of four to eight points on vocabulary tests.

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