Oxford Public Library is working with the Read Aloud 15 MINUTES with the goal to have every child being read aloud to by a parent or loved one for 15 minutes every day starting at birth.  

According to Read Aloud:

• Reading aloud is the single most important thing a parent or caregiver can do to help a child prepare for reading and learning.
• Nationally, 37% of children arrive in kindergarten without the skills necessary to begin their learning journey.
• If a child is not reading at grade level by the end of the first grade, then there is an 88% probability the child will not be reading at grade level by the end     of the fourth grade.
• Even in higher-income households, nearly 40% of families do not read aloud every day.
• More than half the children in this country - 13 million children - will not hear a bedtime story tonight.
• If nothing changes, over the coming decade 15 million children will begin kindergarten ill prepared for their learning journey setting off a cascade of           failure.