Via the Osceola News Gazette

By Debbie Daniel on Thursday, May 1, 2025

Osceola County parents have a new tool to spark their babies’ love for learning. The Osceola Library System and Osceola Community Health Services (OCHS) is launching a “Baby’s First” program to promote early literacy by providing free books and resources during pediatric visits.

During those visits to OCHS’s Poinciana and Stadium Place clinics, families will receive a care package with a bilingual board book – ideal for Osceola’s diverse community – plus early literacy tips and information on obtaining a free library card. The program encourages reading to infants from birth, a practice which research shows can significantly boost language and cognitive development.

“Even though children may not be talking yet, that doesn’t mean they’re not learning,” says developmental psychologist Carolyn Cates.

In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics found that reading to infants from birth increases vocabulary exposure by 15-20%. Babies hear 1.4 million more words by age five, if read to daily.

“Reading to babies builds language skills and prepares them for school,” said Amy Jones, Director of the Osceola Library System. “Partnering with OCHS allows us to reach families early and foster a lifelong love of reading.”

In addition to school readiness, with read-to children showing better comprehension and academic outcomes by kindergarten, reading to children early supports emotional bonding between the child and caregiver.

Local therapist and mother of seven-year-old twin boys Jearene Webb says she and her husband began reading to their boys while she was still pregnant.

“We learned that talking to them starts the bonding process,” Webb said. “Children can hear the voices of their parents, even if muffled.”

Now that the twins are in first grade, Webb said they read to their parents. “We know way more about Dogman than we probably ever wanted to know,” she laughed.

As a mental health professional, Webb said that reading to children creates a bond, a curiosity, enhances quality time, and helps create a memory with the child.

“Most of the time, reading to our children includes some type of physical touch— sitting on a lap, leaning on their shoulder— which also helps the child feel a closeness to their parent,” she said. “Children who had parents that read to them normally develop a lot creatively, learn good communication and social skills, and build a confidence to talk to those in various stages of life because they know a lot more about the world around them from reading.”

The Baby’s First program ties literacy to health, emphasizing routine pediatric care. OCHS, a Federally Qualified Health Center, offers services on a sliding fee scale, ensuring that all families can access checkups and vaccinations.

“This partnership supports both healthy kids and strong readers,” Jones said.

Currently, Baby’s First is available with limited supplies at the two clinics, but plans are in place to expand countywide once additional funding and partners are secured. Families can access more free resources, including weekly baby storytimes and children’s books, at any Osceola Library branch.

To participate in Baby’s First, schedule a pediatric visit at OCHS’s Poinciana or Stadium Place clinics, where care packages are distributed while supplies last.

To find an OCHS clinic, check osceolahealthcare.org. For library programs, visit osceolalibrary.org.

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