FAMILIES WITH NEWBORNS It is never too early to start reading to a child. Reading to babies and toddlers helps them learn new sounds, words, and elements of language, builds listening skills, and stimulates basic cognitive development. Research shows that children who have been read to in their preschool years consistently perform at a higher level in school. Many families are either not aware of the significant benefits of reading to young children, or they do not have any high-quality books in their home appropriate for babies and toddlers. To address this need, CLiF partners with organizations such as Good Beginnings and Bright Beginnings which offer free home-visitor programs to assist families with newborn babies across New Hampshire and Vermont. This program offers two types of support: Book Donation: CLiF donates a significant collection of new, age-appropriate children’s books for home-visitors to distribute to families with few books in their home. Volunteer Training: CLiF representatives meet with the staff and volunteers from the sponsored agencies and provide training and materials to help them encourage young families to read to their infants and children. Good Beginnings’ volunteer Samantha Kolber visited a family that had a newborn girl and an 18-month-old boy. The house had no books or toys, and the mother was adamant her son was too young for books. At each weekly visit, however, Samantha read to the boy while he happily pointed and babbled to the pictures. The mother was amazed the 'troublesome toddler’ sat still and enjoyed the experience. Samantha was delighted she could leave the books behind to start the family’s new collection. If you know an organization working with low-income young families in New Hampshire and Vermont that you think CLiF should support, please Suggest a Program You can also view other comments from individuals who have received a sponsorship.