First Lady
DeWine speaks to parents at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.
(CLEVELAND, Ohio)—Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine focused on
early childhood literacy in Northeast Ohio today, starting with a
tour of University Hospitals (UH) Rainbow Babies & Children’s
Hospital and MacDonald Women’s Hospital in Cuyahoga County to learn
about the ways UH is promoting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of
Ohio.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio has enrolled 358,550
kids, totaling nearly 50% of eligible children within Ohio. The
Imagination Library mails kids one high-quality, age-appropriate
book each month until their 5th birthday. All Ohio children – from
birth to age 5 – are eligible at no cost to families.
“I love traveling Ohio to see how our amazing partners, like
leaders at University Hospitals, are helping to enroll young
families so that more free books get into the hands of children,”
said Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine. “Several Ohio-based research
studies, including one done at Case Western Reserve University, show
the positive impact Imagination Library books have in a home,
particularly better-preparing kids for kindergarten.”
After the UH tour, First Lady DeWine participated in a roundtable
discussion with hospital leaders and community partners who are
helping our youngest Ohioans get an early start on reading. Brain
science shows a child’s brain is already 80% developed by the time
he or she turns three years old. Ohio-based research shows the
longer a Cuyahoga County student is enrolled in the Imagination
Library, the higher his or her Kindergarten Readiness Assessment
score, which is used to measure a student’s skill level in being
able to grasp instruction.
“Reading to infants and children is so important. Countless studies
have shown a connection between a babies’ language exposure and
their neurodevelopmental outcomes. Reading also supports family
bonding, and decreases stress related to hospitalization,” said
Patti DePompei, RN, MSN, President, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s
and UH MacDonald Women’s hospitals and Rainbow Babies & Children’s
Foundation Chair in Leadership and Innovation. “We are proud to
actively support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio and
connect our patients and families to these wonderful opportunities
to hopefully develop a lifelong love of books.”
UH leaders share First Lady DeWine’s passion for reading, an
activity that supports a child’s brain development. In addition to
assisting families with registration for Dolly Parton’s Imagination
Library of Ohio, each family that has a baby at UH MacDonald Women’s
Hospital receives a bag filled with baby-friendly board books,
literature on healthy parenting tips, and the option to activate the
baby’s first library card. It’s part of the UH Baby’s First Books
program.
UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s has also been a longtime participant
in the national Reach Out and Read program. Most recently, the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at UH Rainbow Babies &
Children’s Hospital became the first-of-its-kind in Ohio to bring
Reach Out and Read to patients in the hospital.
Just last month, the UH Rainbow’s NICU participated in its third
read-a-thon through the Babies with Books program. The 10-day event
brings together 200+ NICUs around the world in a friendly
competition to celebrate and encourage reading with doctors, nurses,
therapists, volunteers, and family members reading at least one
story each day to every baby.
First Lady DeWine has been working to partner with Ohio birthing
hospitals, like UH MacDonald Women’s Hospital. If parents sign up
their newborn for the Imagination Library, that child will receive
60 books, taking full advantage of all the free books the program
has to offer Ohio families.
Parents and caregivers can sign up children for Dolly Parton’s
Imagination Library books here.
First Lady DeWine participates in roundtable
discussion with hospital leaders and community partners.
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