By AL.com staff

Senator Britt reads to a baby in the RNICU at UABAndrea Mabry

It’s critical to read to your newborn children so they can get a jumpstart on learning – especially for sick and premature babies in neonatal units who need to hear human voices during the early period of rapid mental growth, experts at University of Alabama at Birmingham Medicine and Children’s Hospital say.

To help promote early reading, U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) on Monday visited for the 2024 NICU Bookworm Day and read to newborns.

Britt read to babies in UAB Women & Infants Center’s Regional Newborn Intensive Care Unit (RNICU) and Continuing Care Nursery (CCN) and the NICU at Children’s of Alabama Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children.

“I want every child to have the opportunity to live their American Dream, and early brain development is a key part of ensuring that is possible because it sets a foundation for a child’s future,” said Senator Britt. “UAB and Children’s Bookworm Day is an important initiative that shows parents just how vital it is to read to their babies from an early age. I read to my kids throughout their early years, and, today, I was able to read to precious babies receiving life-saving care in the NICUs at UAB Hospital and Children’s of Alabama. I am grateful to the medical professionals who are taking care of these babies day-in and day-out not just through medicine, but through initiatives like Bookworm Day. I was proud to play a small part in this program, and I hope it shows all parents they can and should incorporate reading to their babies and their kids into their everyday routines.”

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UAB and Children’s of Alabama launched the NICU Bookworms reading program in 2021 to help reduce developmental problems in sick and premature babies, and to increase parent-infant bonding. Last year, the program expanded with a new book vending machine, where parents can use tokens to purchase books to read to their babies. Parents earn tokens through parent-infant activities and education programs.

“Numerous studies show that early literacy is critical for a child’s development and is a strong predictor of life success. However, many parents are not aware of the benefits of early reading. The NICU Bookworms program at UAB and Children’s of Alabama aims to enhance parent-baby bonding, increase exposure to words through books and highlight the importance of early reading. We appreciate Sen. Britt visiting to highlight our efforts in investing in this initiative for our patients and families,” said Viral Jain, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology at UAB and Children’s of Alabama.

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