Surveys Reveal Lessons Learned during Pregnancy

Surveys of 204 pregnant women in our Prenatal Project show that, after attending at least one of our workshops, 33% more of the women were aware that screen time is not recommended for children under the age of 2.

All the women completed the same survey given two times: before receiving our information about childhood brain development and pre-literacy ...

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Lessons about Babies’ Brains, Language Skills for Mothers-To-Be

Delivered through Prenatal Project

By Marguerite Alpert
Books for Babies Coordinator

Bruna Fortunato’s journeys from Brazil and to pregnancy have not been easy.

When the 25-year-old first came to this country four years ago to make a better life for herself, she struggled with learning a new language and keeping up with bills. She stayed less than a year. Once back in Brazil, however, Bruna realized that she wanted to make another go of it in the United States.

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The Lifesaving Power of Books

Reading aloud — from a book — can help close the health equity gap

US News & World Report

By Dr. John Hutton March 30, 2016

The image was riveting. Like an X on a treasure map, the orange-yellow spot on a series of MRI frames marked an area in the brain that was brimming with activity. We were witnessing the physiological impact of greater reading exposure in the brains of preschool children.

This spot, located in the left hemisphere, supports language and imagery. For ...

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Kids Who Aren’t Ready for Kindergarten May Suffer Long-Term Consequences

Study finds such youngsters more likely to be held back, or even expelled by fourth grade

WEDNESDAY, March 16, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Children entering kindergarten need to be socially and behaviorally ready for school or they may struggle in later grades, a new study suggests.

“In 2015, kindergarten teachers rated more than half of students behind in social and behavioral skills needed for learning, and it’s painful for the children who want to succeed, but become frustrated and hopeless,” study author Deborah ...

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The Superior Social Skills of Bilinguals

SundayReviewThe New York Times

By KATHERINE KINZLER MARCH 11, 2016

BEING bilingual has some obvious advantages. Learning more than one language enables new conversations and new experiences. But in recent years, psychology researchers have demonstrated some less obvious advantages of bilingualism, too. For instance, bilingual children may enjoy certain cognitive benefits, such as improved executive function — which is critical for problem solving and other mentally demanding activities.

Now, two new studies demonstrate that multilingual exposure improves not ...

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