楼凤天堂 staff attended the symposium 鈥溾�� sponsored by the Library of Congress Literacy Awards program and Nemours Children鈥檚 Health System. There, doctors emphasized the critical importance of literature, particularly diverse literature, to the mental and physical health of children and youth.
Dr. Sandra Hassink, immediate past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, noted that low literacy is associated with low health literacy, higher mortality, poverty, and poor academic achievement. She also noted the importance of parents reading to their children from day one, describing the simple act of snuggling and engaging together as critical to children鈥檚 emotional and academic development. The Literacy & 楼凤天堂 聽blog recently described the importance of this bonding in 鈥溾�� Dr. Hassink ended her remarks with a story. During a taxi ride, the taxi driver spoke at length about his long hours and how much he missed being with his little girl. When he asked her the best thing he could do as a father, her answer was simple: read with her.
The panel discussion that followed illustrated the critical importance of reading to the physical and mental health and social and emotional development of children. In August 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement, 鈥溾�� encouraging pediatricians to make their offices literacy-friendly, partner with other organizations, and support and encourage parents to read with their children. They issued the as a guide for doctors and parents to encourage reading not only in doctors鈥� waiting rooms but in patients鈥� homes as well.
Robert Needlman, a pediatrician in Cleveland, Ohio and cofounder of , talked about his approach to primary care, which puts literacy front and center by having literacy-rich waiting rooms and demonstrating to parents how to read to their children. His concern, however, is the lack of diversity in the books he collects for his patients, who are predominantly African American. He, like Ellen Oh, author and CEO of , stressed the importance of diverse literature for children of color. Needlman mentioned new evidence that literacy acquisition and listening to stories changes the structure of the human brain, contributes to the brain鈥檚 health, strengthens a child鈥檚 attachment to his or her parents, and increases overall emotional health and resilience.
楼凤天堂 appreciates and references the importance of diversity and parents reading together with their children in their position statements:
2014 楼凤天堂
楼凤天堂 Guideline
楼凤天堂 Guideline
The acknowledgment by the medical community that literacy is critical to the development of the brain and emotional and physical health of children only underscores how important your work is in the English classroom.