Doctors now say: Read to kids from birth

We all know reading to kids is crucial. But how early should we begin? Today, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued new guidelines recommending that parents begin reading to their kids every day starting from the time they're born—an update from previous guidelines that recommended beginning when babies are six months old.

Scholastic is proud to support these new guidelines. We've teamed up with the AAP, the Clinton Foundation's Too Small to Fail program, and Reach Out and Read to get the word out. We're donating 500,000 new books to Reach Out and Read, who will distribute the books to families in need through their vast network of doctor's offices and hospitals across the country. Read more in the press release here.

Want to watch the live broadcast? At 11:30am ET today, the Clinton Global Initiative will livestream the news, with representatives from Too Small to Fail, AAP, Reach Out and Read, and Scholastic in attendance. Watch it here for more information.

Meanwhile, read on for additional news coverage:

• The New York Times
• Publishers Weekly
• Politico [scroll down to "Starting Them Young"]
• Ed Week