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Program Highlight: CHIP Promotes Early Literacy

By supporting families early in a child’s life, children are set up for better success in school and a brighter future.

Think a baby is too young to reap the rewards of reading? Think again. Children’s vocabulary skills are linked to their economic backgrounds. Research shows that by 18 months, children in different socio-economic groups display dramatic differences in their vocabularies. By 2 years, the disparity in vocabulary development has grown significantly. By age 3, children in poverty

hear an average of 3 million less words than those of higher incomes. This automatically puts children in poverty behind in language and reading skills, well before they start school. Ninety percent of brain development happens by age 5. The most successful intervention starts at birth. CHIP works diligently to help close the word gap for children in the NRV. Through hospital outreach, CHIP provides a board book and early literacy information to every screened family and continues to provide a book to each family at every home visit. During 2017-2018, CHIP of NRV gave away over 3,000 books!

Parents play the most critical role in the development of a child’s early language and literacy skills. Positive early development can give children a window to the world, helping to ensure that each child can seize his or her potential for future success. CHIP educates parents to support their child’s development through family activities that promote a language and a literacy-rich home environment. Program data from 2016-2017 indicates that 96% of CHIP parents enrolled for more than one year increased their parental values and behaviors that support their child’s development. By supporting families early in a child’s life, children are set up for better success in school and a brighter future.

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