Reading Advocacy

As part of our mission to promote the health of all children, Dr. Stephens and Dr. Vogelgesang have made a commitment to promote reading in our practice.

Reading is a critical skill that is the single most important factor in a child's school performance. Children who are read to from an early age not only learn to read earlier, but do better in school and on standardized tests throughout their school careers. On the other hand, children who watch more television have been shown to have poorer school performance, a decreased attention span, and more aggressive behavior than children who watch less television.

So please, please, please read to your children! When your child is an infant, sit and look at books, magazines, newspapers, or magazines together. The content is not as important as the time spent together with books. At this age, children learn to associate books and reading with love and nurturing and develop a positive attitude toward reading. As your child grows and becomes a toddler, begin reading children's books. For young toddlers, books with different textures or sounds can be fascinating. As your child grows into the preschool years and beyond, continue to read every day, because now your child is forming the building blocks of literacy, associating speech with the written word. Finally as your child enters school and learns to read independently, continue to read together as an activity that strengthens and maintains family bonds.

Preferred Pediatrics, Inc. is proud to partner with Daily Dose of Reading. This Cleveland-based non-profit organization promotes literacy by partnering with pediatricians to promote reading. We have books throughout our office for you to enjoy with your child during your visit. Please make use of them. In addition, we sponsor storytimes in partnership with Daily Dose of Reading here at our office. Check out our home page for dates and times!

Read with your child and enjoy. You are giving a wonderful gift that will last a lifetime!