Huge news for Books from Birth:⁠ ⁠ Starting today, November 9th, Books from Birth is now partnering with @unchealthwayne! ⁠ This launch is made possible by a transformative five-year, $5 million investment from The Leon Levine Foundation, bringing Books from Birth to hospitals serving North Carolina’s Tier 1 counties, with the goal of reaching 16,000 families with newborns. UNC Health Wayne is among the first hospitals in the state to join us. ⁠ ⁠ From their very first days, families of newborns will take home: ⁠ - A starter home library of 10 brand-new board books⁠ - Shared reading strategies to begin reading together from day one⁠ - A curated guide to local and national resources that support families long after they leave the hospital⁠ ⁠ Families are also invited to enroll in two free programs offered locally through the @smartstartnc network : Dolly Parton’s @imaginationlibrary, which mails them a new book every month until their child’s fifth birthday, and Basics Insights weekly text tips for supporting their child’s growth from birth to age five.⁠ ⁠ Together, these programs mean a child born at UNC Health Wayne can build a home library of dozens of books by the time they walk into kindergarten, with their parents supported every step of the way, at no cost to their family.⁠ ⁠ When books belong to children from day one, reading becomes part of family life from the very beginning; strengthening early literacy skills, caregiver-child bonding, and brain development during a child’s most important years.⁠ ⁠ Thank you to our partners for believing, as we do, in the limitless potential of every child. Here’s to the newest readers in Wayne County!⁠ ⁠ #bookharvest #booksfrombirth #communitypartners #earlyliteracy #UNCHealth