Many American children from the day they are born until they start school have little contact with books. From the start their most common baby sitter is the TV set which bombards the child with random flashing images. Some have even blamed this practice for Attention Deficit Disorder. Whether the TV is the cause of ATD or not children become accustomed to flashing images and will find it difficult later when they are required to sit quietly and read a book. We are beginning to see children that take to video games more easily than books this could be the result of TV baby sitting. Special programs such as Parents As Teachers encourage parents to start reading to the child as early as possible and continue through their school years to support the child’s education at home. It is known that children have immense learning capacity in their early years. These are the years where they can be most influenced by their environment for discipline and for learning. Many parents are unaware of this opportunity and think of the child as a source of their own entertainment believing that education begins when school starts and is not their responsibility. The following article from Governing Magazine at Governing.com is one of the best ideas I have seen on the subject of bringing books to children.

“RECRUITING YOUNG”
“In 1996, Dolly Parton launched a program to provide free books to children in her native Sevier County, Tenn. The program, called Imagination Library, sent participating children a book every month from the day they were born until their fifth birthday. Impressed with the program, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen partnered with the Dollywood Foundation to bring the program to Tennessee and createthe Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation. Today, 80 of Tennessee’s 95 counties are providing free, new, age-appropriate books each month to more than 85,000 children. Every child who lives in a participating county is eligible, regardless of family income. The cost of the program is $27 per child per year, and is split evenly between the state and county. The General Assembly approved $2 million in state money to subsidize the program. Counties that adopt it are required to recruit a nonprofit sponsor, fundraise and establish a five-year plan to keep it going. The Governor’s Foundation provides technical help and fund-raising for struggling counties as well as one-year grants to help a handful of counties. The program is also available in South Dakota and South Carolina. To learn more about it and find a local contact, visit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at www.imaginationlibrary.com, or the Governor’s Foundation at www.governorsfoundation.org.”