Study shows exposure to books results in additional years of education for children
A recent study published in the June edition of the journal Research in Social Stratification and Mobility concludes that children who grow up in homes where there are a lot of books tend to receive 3 additional years of education than children who grew up in a home without books.
The authors equated this to giving those kids the same advantage they would have if they had university educated parents and was twice as beneficial having a father who is a professional rather than an unskilled laborer. The study, which was conducted across 27 countries, found that this conclusion held true across cultures and regardless of the parents’ educational level, occupation, or class.
What does this mean for your child? Increasing your child’s exposure to books and reading is integral to providing with them with strong educational values and a love of learning and reading. This, in turn, leads to children pursuing their education further than they would if they were not exposed to books. Also, growing up in a home where books are commonplace probably means that the parents are reading and thereby setting a good example by demonstrating the importance of education and reading.
During the school year, the Maricopa County Library District, which includes libraries throughout the Valley, offers numerous story times for children of various ages starting with infants. Over the summer, story times are put on hiatus and in their place are summer reading programs. The programs are divided up by age from birth up to 18 years. Guidelines for the reading program vary by ages and tracking your child’s reading can earn him/her a prize. Prizes include items such as beach balls,