(music).
Okay, so what were some of your favorite books when you were growing up?
Oh my gosh, Gone With The Wind, 1037 pages changed my life!
Well, one that really changed mine was Who Moved My Cheese, 20 pages I will say.
Oh my gosh.
1,000 versus 20.
I want your book.
Yeah, you should read it.
It's a good one.
Did you have a library card?
I did.
I know.
So did I. I tell my kids what we used to do, and they're like, "Really!?
What?
I don't understand."
I know.
Well, today the sight of kids with cell phones seems to be way more prevalent than the sight
of kids with traditional books.
But our next guest is out to change all that or should I say Be The Change.
That's right.
We are talking about a fantastic early reading initiative with a positive lifelong impact
for thousands of children.
And here's Julie.
(music).
Just what is it that determines a child's health, wellbeing and success as they grow
into adulthood?
Is it money?
Is it opportunity?
No.
It's their ability to read.
Literacy is the single strongest predictor of adult health because reading is the foundation
for education, and education is the foundation for a better quality of life.
And joining us now to share more about this extraordinary program is Dr. Laura Bailet,
Psychologist, renowned expert in children's learning, and Vice President of the Nemours
Reading BrightStart Program.
And with her is Liana Rothstein-Hood and her daughter, Lauren, and her friend, Gabby.
Dr. Bailet, let me start with you.
When exactly do children start developing their ability to read, and how early in life
does that happen?
Well, believe it or not, it actually starts at or before birth.
You're kidding.
I'm not kidding.
And so the sooner parents can start reading with their children and doing other kinds
of reading related activities, the more their child is going to be benefit both in the short-term
and the longterm.
And what are some of the ways we can start with our kids right off the bat at a very
early age that are fun and easy to do?
Well, easy and fun are the operative words here because so many parents today are overwhelmed,
and sometimes they even feel intimated.
So, we want to have things that are easy and fun.
And really it all starts with talking reading and singing with your child throughout your
day, weaving that into your daily routine.
So things like when you're in the car, point out road signs along the way.
Oh great.
If you're at the grocery store, you can talk about the foods that you're putting in your
cart.
You could talk about foods that rhyme like peas and cheese.
And, of course, very important to read lots and lots of books.
And what about even things like coloring books and scribbling and what Gabby and Lauren are
really doing right now?
I love seeing that Lauren and Gabby are scribbling and they're drawing pictures and telling us
about their pictures because reading and writing go hand-in-hand.
So, if a child is writing and drawing, that's actually helping to develop her reading skills
and vice versa.
Great.
Now tell me about the Nemours Foundations and the BrightStart.
What are the catalysts?
Where did you think of creating this program?
Well, Nemours Children's Health System is actually one of the leading pediatric health
systems in the country, and we're all about helping every child achieve their potential
and we know how important reading is to that.
You know, reading is the single strongest predictor of an adult's health status, and
it all starts in childhood.
That's an amazing statistic.
It's so important.
Well, how exactly does reading BrightStart work?
Well, it's a website, and it's free, and it's widely accessible to just about anyone.
You can do everything on the website with your Smart Phone, and I think one of the most
magnificent features of the website is called the preschool reading screener, and it's a
quick checklist that the parent can complete for there child and get a snapshot if their
child is on track for future reading success or maybe needs a little bit more help.
Now this is very very good.
Tell me about that.
Wow!
Is that a picture of you?
Mm-hmm.
See, I see that, too.
I see that you used the green right there.
And do you want to tell me anything else about that picture?
This looks like maybe you wrote your name up there.
Is that your name up there?
Mm-hmm.
You are turning into a little writer.
So, what's so interesting about this.
She's four and we can already see she's got clear parts of her drawing that look like
a picture and other parts that looks like emerging writing.
And that's exactly what we love to see in four-year-olds.
Liana, I just want to talk to you.
And you, the website, you've looked at it.
Lauren's just two.
But tell me about how you think it can help you as you go forward.
Well, it's a tremendous resource for a number of reasons.
The first is it teaches a first-time parent or a repeat parent how to read to their child
effectively, which it's not just reading to your child but it's pointing to the words.
It's pointing to letters.
It's discussing what the children are actually looking at on the page.
Dr. Bailet, how many kids to-date has the Reading BrightStart program helped?
Well, Nemours BrightStart has actually helped over 100,000 children.
Wow!
With reading activities that will really put them on the road to reading success.
And thousands of them have been helped by the ReadingBrightStart.org website.
And this is just shocking.
And best of all, viewers, moms and dads out there, this is all free.
Tell us one more time where parents can go to find the program, Laura.
ReadingBrightStart.org.
That's it.
Oh my gosh.
This is so fantastic.
And Gabby, we're going to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but I'm going to tell our viewers
that you can also logon to TheBalancingAct.com for more Reading BrightStart information,
and don't forget to Be The Change in your world today.
Alright, let's take a look at this.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Want to get up here?
Yeah, come on up here.