Screen time vs. story time

The literacy crisis has become a major topic in social issues and public discourse. Educators and parents are in a constant tug-of-war, trying to figure out what to do about the fact that the new generation is struggling to read. Many factors contribute to the decline in literacy. Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to tackle these issues, which stem from a culture that no longer values reading.

One reason is a lack of access to books, a lost culture around Reading, and a lack of parental awareness of its importance, especially for young children entering early elementary school. But programs like Reading Is Fundamental SoCal give thousands of kids and families access to free books, fostering a love of Reading that has sadly been lost among many kids today.

Carol Henault, executive director of RIF SoCal, speaks passionately about her work at the organization. “It’s the best fit for me in the whole world. I couldn’t do anything I love more.”

Carol’s passion for Reading and literacy goes beyond her work at RIF SoCal. “I hope that people really do continue to read,” she says. Her love of building her own home library inspires her to keep giving free books to kids.

‘There is no such thing as a child that doesn’t like to read.’

Giving families access to free books is perhaps the most important step for restoring literacy among the younger generations. However, there is something to be said for the technology and AI-driven society we live in, which has pushed us away from books and toward screens. Working with parents and their kids often involves reminding them that reading to children and engaging in meaningful intellectual conversations are crucial to early cognitive development.

“When we give books to families, we’re building sort of a culture around books,” Carol says, an important aspect of a literate child’s life. In today’s world, parents are becoming frequently less attentive to their children, depriving them of literacy and meaningful interactions with their caregivers. This not only creates distance between parent and child but also stunts a child’s ability to read and comprehend. By the time kids like these (who’ve had little to no interaction with books or with Reading) reach school age, they are already behind in their education.

It gets harder to get kids engaged in reading once they reach a certain age, by which point they are probably already reliant on their iPads for entertainment. It keeps them distracted rather than setting them up for success, both academically and otherwise, by fostering a love of reading early. Instilling curiosity and a love of reading early is the most important part of setting them up for academic success.

“There is no such thing as a child that doesn’t like to read,” Carol emphasizes. As kids grow up, constant screen exposure and a lack of parental guidance in their educational journeys can eventually squash any love of reading they once had, leaving them without a desire to learn and explore the world around them.

The literacy crisis is, in some ways, self-made. Part of the solution is fairly simple: read to your kids, and read with intention. As busy and hectic as life can get, it’s exceedingly important that parents don’t neglect building meaningful bonds with their children by reading to them, talking to them, and creating a world where curiosity is the most important virtue in a child’s life.