Community Corner

Do You Read Bedtime Stories to Your Kids, Ferndale?

A new survey shows only one in three parents reads with their children every night.

A new study finds only one in three parents reads bedtime stories with their children every night.

The statistic was among the data released earlier this month from a survey commissioned by Reading Is Fundamental and Macy's to launch the annual Be Book Smart campaign from June 21 to July 21 to support children's literacy.

The response to a query on the Ferndale Patch Facebook page about whether parents read to their kids on a nightly basis was a resounding yes.
  • Dawn Denise New-Echlin: Every single night and why because they love it, I love it, and it gives us uninterrupted quality time together at some of the most critical points of the day.
  • Lynn Palmer Markarian: Yes I did, that was precious time and they liked it and I did too! My youngest had speech therapy and when we would read, we would alternate pages to read as a way of therapy at home for him 
  • Karen Clark Johnson: I did when they were little. Now they read to themselves. I'd like to start doing a family read. Like reading an epic novel with the whole family.
  • Shannon Curtis Werenka: Ours are 5 and 3, and almost every night we spend at least 20 min reading, and have since they were born. We want to instill a love of reading and it has really helped in vocabulary building! Plus, its a good way to spend some quiet time unwinding as a family before bed.
  • Kelly Coulter Knoll: We read with our 2 and 4 year olds every night. Lately they ask to look through scrapbooks and photo books too, which is a great way to relive all our family adventures.

The nationwide survey of more than 1,000 parents with children age 8 or younger conducted in April by Harris Interactive for RIF and Macy's also found the following.

Find out what's happening in Ferndalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Eighty-seven percent of parents read bedtime stories to their children, although not necessarily on a nightly basis.
  • Fifty percent of parents say their children spend more time with television or video games than with books.
  • Twice as many children prefer a printed book (20 percent) over an e-book (9 percent), say parents who read both types of books to their children.
  • Children who don't read well by the end of the third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school than proficient readers, according to a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Click here for more information about the Be Book Smart campaign.


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