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Studies on early brain development have determined that 90% of the architecture (i.e. the neural network) of the brain is established by age three and 95% by the age of five. These studies have determined that reading to children at least 20 minutes per day stimulates brain development and has lifelong impact for the child -- specifically in the areas of vocabulary, information processing and creativity. Since Arizona spends less on education than 90% of the other states, something must be done to help prepare children for entry into the school system at age five -- to make them excited about learning, build their confidence, make them ready to read and enhance the likelihood of success in school.
Early childhood development research has established a strong correlation between the number of books in the home of pre-schoolers and eventual success in school and beyond. Though more and more parents know the importance of preparing their children for school, many families face obstacles (financial, work commitments, language barriers, embarrassment) that make other options (like the library) impractical or uncomfortable.
The grant that we are seeking will provide a scholarship for 139 children in the Sedona and Village of Oak Creek communities (i.e. the pre-schoolers within the Oak Creek Unified School District) so that they can receive the gift of a new, age-appropriate book each month selected specifically to aid the progressive stages of brain development. These books will help prepare them for school and will have the ancillary benefit of encouraging the bond between the parent and child as they read the monthly, gifted book together.
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