Books for Babies
Parents are their baby’s first teachers.
Based in Connecticut, Books for Babies empowers parents to support early literacy from day one. Through books, guides, and materials, families gain the tools they need to nurture language and reading skills.
The impact is clear: in Connecticut, only 51% of families read to their children daily. After one Books for Babies touchpoint, 71% read together daily—and after a second, that number rises to 80%. Our program helps families build lasting reading habits that set children up for lifelong success.
Read to Grow is committed to equipping families with the knowledge and resources to foster literacy, health, and lifelong learning from the very first day.
As Read to Grow’s flagship program, Books for Babies began over 25 years ago at Yale New Haven Hospital and has since expanded into three key initiatives:
Newborn Project
Our Newborn Project continues the work we started in 2001 at Yale New Haven Hospital and now operates in hospitals across Connecticut. Every family with a newborn at our partner hospitals receives a free Literacy Packet, filled with resources to help parents support their child’s early learning and literacy development. Families can also enroll in our First Year Project, which provides additional age-appropriate books and developmental guidance at key milestones, 3 months and 1 year, helping parents nurture their child’s growth through every stage.
Prenatal Project
Launched in 2016, our Prenatal Project provides expecting families with educational materials and board books through community health centers and clinics. This needs-based initiative helps parents establish early reading routines and meaningful interactions with their babies before birth. Healthcare providers deliver Read to Grow’s literacy message and distribute literacy materials including free books, empowering families to build a home library from the start. We are committed to growing this project to serve even more families across Connecticut.
NICU Early Literacy Project
Designed to support language development for infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), our NICU Early Literacy Project provides books and literacy resources directly to each baby’s isolette. Launched in 2020 at Connecticut Children’s Hospital, the “Tiny Tales” initiative encourages parents to read, talk, and sing to their infants—key activities that support cognitive and language growth. Research shows that preterm infants are at higher risk for developmental delays, and Read to Grow aims to help close this gap by fostering early language exposure. We look forward to expanding this program to reach more NICUs and families throughout Connecticut.
