If you give a child a book, you give a child a chance. That's why every year Idaho News 6 strives to raise funds to give kids books of their own — books they pick out themselves so that they'll read them over and over,
Specialists in child education, like the folks at the Public Broadcasting Service, say reading to your kids just 20 minutes a night in the first year is vital.
"The research shows that if kids are not reading by, proficiently by third grade, that they will pretty much never read proficiently, and they will struggle the rest of their school career," said Kari Wardle, Director of Education, IPTV. "So really getting kids proficient at that young age and getting them to read is just so, so important.
Because not every kid has access to books, PBS has created educational programs to reach all those kids. PBS research has shown that kids who participate in PBS kids' content on TV and online are as prepared for kindergarten as kids who attend a high-quality preschool, but Wardle added that reading books is the best way to prepare your kids for school.
