Jr. League of Northern Westchester: Books for Babies

Jr. League of Northern Westchester: Books for Babies

The Junior League of Northern Westchester has teamed up with Northern Westchester Hospital to ensure that all kids can grow up in a book rich environment beginning at birth. Their new Books for Babies  initiative offers a literacy package to the families of each child born at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, NY. But this initiative only works if you donate a book from their Amazon Wishlist, or by making a monetary donation here. Each literacy packet contains a bilingual board book to start each child’s home library, bilingual handouts promoting early literacy and a list of local libraries in Westchester County.

The Junior League and Northern Westchester Hospital partnered on this important initiative due to the sad reality that many households do not possess a single book for their children, yet the first few years of a child’s life are some of the most developmentally important. About 80% of a child’s brain is developed by age three, and parents are their babies’ first teachers. It is clear that children who have a book rich environment have much higher success in school.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recognized the importance of reading to children beginning a birth. And they have recognized how many children are missing out on this home style version of early childhood education. They report that more than 1 in 3 American children start kindergarten without the language skills they need to learn to read. Each year, approximately 2/3 of children in the United States and 80% of those living below the poverty threshold fail to develop reading proficiency by the end of third grade.

Books for Babies was designed to address this need and they need your help today.