State of Delaware’s War on Illiteracy Begins in Maternity Ward

State officials have declared war on illiteracy and are enlisting recruits in Delaware’s maternity wards and preschools to make sure the next generation can read.

The battle begins before newborns leave the hospital, said Elisabeth Poole, president of Read-Aloud Delaware. All of the approximately 8,000 babies born in the state each year will leave the hospital with a book of nursery rhymes as part of the Baby’s First Book campaign.

Bilingual Booklet

Their parents will receive a booklet, printed in Spanish and English, called, “Reading Begins With You,” to explain the importance of reading aloud to children, even newborns, Poole said.

“What it does is suggest at different ages various activities that have to do with reading aloud or reading in general so parents will have a constant reminder of maybe to try something at a certain age,” she said. “Children will want to read and want to learn to read by seeing someone in the home reading on a regular basis.”

Even Cereal Boxes Help

Cereal boxes, mail circulars and billboards also help children learn to read, she said.

The Division of Public Health also will work with new parents who use state-run clinics for postnatal care.

The clinics have books available for parents or volunteers to read to children while waiting to see a physician, and Poole said she hopes that private physicians will eventually have in-house libraries for their patients.

Program Began in 1984

The state’s Read-Aloud program, which began in 1984, has targeted agencies ranging from day-care centers to shelters for the homeless to encourage reading to children.

A third program, Raise A Reader, is the only statewide effort in the nation that attempts to ensure that children are interested in reading by the time they enter kindergarten, Poole said.

Few Programs Around

“There are very few reading programs anyplace,” she said, although some cities, such as Richmond, Ind., Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, have such programs.

There are an estimated 23 million functionally illiterate adults in the United States.