Family Reading to Young Children
Reading to young children promotes language acquisition
and correlates with literacy development and, later on,
with achievement in reading comprehension and overall
success in school. The percentage of young children read
aloud to daily by a family member is one indicator of how
well young children are prepared for school.
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In 1996, 57 percent of children ages 3 to 5 were read aloud
to by a family member every day in the last week, up slightly from 53 percent
in 1993.
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As a mother's education increases, so does the likelihood
that her child is read to every day. In 1996, about three-quarters (77
percent) of children whose mothers were college graduates were read aloud
to every day. In comparison, daily reading aloud occurred for 62 percent
of children whose mothers had some postsecondary experience, 49 percent
whose mothers had completed high school but had no education beyond that,
and 37 percent whose mothers had not completed high school.
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White, non-Hispanic children are more likely to be read aloud
to every day than either black, non-Hispanic or Hispanic children. Sixty-four
percent of white, non-Hispanic children, 44 percent of black non-Hispanic
children, and 39 percent of Hispanic children were read to every day in
1996.
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Children in families with incomes below the poverty line
are less likely to be read aloud to every day than are children in families
with incomes above the poverty line. Forty-six percent of children in families
in poverty were read to every day in 1996, compared to 61 percent of children
in families above the poverty line.
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Children living with two parents are more likely to be read
aloud to every day than are children who live with one or no parent. Sixty-one
percent of children in two-parent households were read to every day in
1996, compared to 46 percent of children living with one or no parent.
Below is a chart demonstrating the percentage of children ages 3 to 5 who were read to every
day by a family member by mother's education (based on 1996).
NOTE: Estimates are based on children ages 3 to 5 who have yet to enter kindergarten.
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About this information: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Household Education Survey.
