Books from Birth
Igniting Literacy for Every Newborn
What is Books from Birth?
Book Harvest’s Books from Birth program partners with hospitals to send newborns home with a starter home library of 10 brand new board books.
Healthcare providers equip new parents with this home library packaged in a Books from Birth box that includes babywear and additional resources that help families foster early language and reading routines from a baby's first days.
Books from Birth lays the foundation for early relational health and optimal brain development in the first five years -- a precondition for school readiness, academic success, and a healthy childhood that leads to a lifetime of flourishing.
Why Books from Birth Matters
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Literacy support from a family's medical team increases active engagement in literacy activities at home, including reading aloud several times every week and reporting that reading together is a favorite shared family activity. [1]
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Books in the home are the single biggest predictor of a child’s reading proficiency and long-term success in school [2], and regular reading from birth improves infant language scores by as early as 9 months of age. [3]
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A guiding principle of the American Academy of Pediatrics is that literacy begins at birth in the home, with parents. [4]
Having a baby is scary, and knowing that there were people there that cared about your child, and also their literacy and education at such a young age, is really cool. We have another daughter who is five, who’s been learning how to read, and so we’ve been reading together as a family. She’s been practicing reading to him, and it’s a lot of fun.
Alexis Wynne,
Parent and Books from Birth Recipient
Joining the Books from Birth Network
Hospitals that join Book Harvest's Books from Birth network commit to:
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Providing all families with a Books from Birth starter home library, including 10 new board books and additional resources that support early language development and shared reading routines from a baby’s first days
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Participating in the program for a minimum of 36 months
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Securing funding for the program, with fundraising and strategic support from Book Harvest
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Designating one staff member to serve as the primary liaison with Book Harvest
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Participating in periodic implementation review meetings, scheduled jointly
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Sharing regular program data with Book Harvest, with metrics and reporting schedules determined collaboratively
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Integrating Books from Birth into the hospital’s electronic medical record (EMR) when feasible
The Books from Birth Network
Emory Decatur Hospital
Decatur
Georgia
Memorial Hospital
South Bend
Indiana
Woman's Hospital
Baton Rouge
Louisiana
Maynard Children's Hospital
Greenville
North Carolina
Columbia Memorial Hospital
Astoria
Oregon
Scotland Memorial Hospital
Laurinburg
North Carolina
UNC Health Southeastern Regional Hospital
Lumberton
North Carolina
Bring Books from Birth to your local hospital.
Interested in learning more about Books from Birth? Contact Michelle Sioson Hyman, National Director, Books from Birth, at mhyman@bookharvest.org.
