You probably know that reading with your baby is important. But do you know why? There’s a long list of reasons, but today let’s focus on one of the most important of them all: the development of a rich vocabulary. Your baby learns new words through exposure. But the truth is that most of our day to day experiences can be a little mundane. That’s where books come in. Take a moment to consider this lovely father-daughter read aloud and all of the new language introduced. It’s not unreasonable to think this family might have a pet - likely a dog or a cat. But consider all the other animal words here, for example, that may not be a part of their daily experience. In just this short snippet alone, father and daughter discuss lambs, sheep, kittens, bunnies, monkeys, and lion cubs. Notice how dad makes a point of repeating the word “lamb” as our hero interacts with the fuzzy woolen material embedded in the board book. Notice too how he uses the opportunity to introduce additional words (ball and yarn) inspired by the pictures, even when not included in the text itself. In a little over a minute, dad introduces his daughter to a whole collection of words that they’d be unlikely to have discussed were it not for this time spent reading together. Now imagine the impact of daily reading over a period of years. Research consistently links vocabulary size with long term academic success. A rich vocabulary is also a tremendous advantage as children learn to read for themselves. Reading isn’t the only way to expose young children to a rich and varied vocabulary, of course. But it sure is a great one. Read with your children daily. It’s an investment in their future that you’ll never regret. This stellar example was shared to IG by lelah_and_lou.

👀 All eyes on Vermont, where the legislature is poised to take major steps on child care and paid family leave this session. A bill passed this week by the state Senate could leapfrog the state to the forefront of the nation’s early childhood policy conversation. What would it do? 🧵 👇

How much is lack of affordable infant toddler care costing your state each year? @Ready_Nation @strongnationUSA break this down in their newest report.

Much of this burden is realized by parents themselves, with the report providing data on how much individual businesses, parents and other taxpayers are being impacted.

After more than a decade in the field, one WA preschool teacher describes how she still couldn’t earn enough to put food on the table. So now the field has lost her and the benefit of her experience. seattletimes.com/opinion/aft…

The nation has more jobs today than it did pre-covid. But not in #childcare, which remains nearly 10% below its 2020 baseline.

A new survey finds that: 58% of families with young children plan to spend over $10,000 on #childcare in 2022. 72% of those surveyed spend 10% or more of their household income on care for their children. For 51% of families this figure is 20% or more. nasdaq.com/articles/58-of-fa…