The Northampton Area Public Library is a critical resource for children and families living within the Northampton Area School District.

 

But many people do not realize the important role that the Library plays…

 

Early Literacy & Libraries

Early literacy is an important indicator of how well children succeed later.

“Reading books to children is a powerful way of introducing them to literacy, and it is the one early experience that has been identified as making a difference in later success.” Zero to Three, National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families.

 

Research links Libraries to improved education.

An Early Literacy Study by the National Library Association showed “significant proof of the important role of public libraries in training parents and caregivers on how to start and keep young children on the path to lifelong literacy.”

 

The Study also demonstrated the importance of library programming, and the value of community collaborations with schools, Head Start Centers, teen parent programs, prisons, and hospitals.

After taking part in the Library Study:

¨ Parents increased their library use by 40%.

¨ Low-income parents increased the sharing of books with young children by 98%.

¨ Teen parents increased sharing of books with young children by 30%.

 

 

 

Libraries’ role in early literacy skill building is too important to ignore.

 

“We consider reading and reading development to be as much a public health issue as an education issue and likewise we consider failure to learn to read not only an education problem but a public health problem.” - G. Reid Lyon, PhD., National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.