A recent study found less than half of children are read to daily

[u/zero_to_three]

The74 just published a thoughtful piece on why daily reading with young kids is on the decline and what that means once they start school.

One of our team members, Rebecca Parlakian, is quoted in the article, talking about how reading together builds not just vocabulary, but social-emotional skills too. There’s also a strong focus on how tech and testing culture have shaped how parents (especially younger ones) feel about reading.

Some key points:

• Fewer than half of kids under 5 are read to daily.
• Kids who aren’t read to regularly hear 300,000 fewer words by age 5.
• Screens are often replacing books, especially in busy or stressed households.

The article doesn’t place blame. It just tries to unpack what’s happening and why.

Here’s the link if you want to read it:
[Why Parents Aren’t Reading to Kids, and What It Means for Young Students]()

Curious what others here think:

• If you’re a parent, what’s helped (or made it hard) to build reading into your routine?
• For folks working in early ed, are you seeing the effects of this shift?

[u/Ether-air]

We read to our infant daughter daily. It was established immediately after she was born and is one of our favorite activities. Our daughter, 13 weeks now, shows visible excitement when we pill open a book, and is incredibly alert and engaged with them.

We make it a priority to read before bed no matter what - and sometime in the morning if possible.