Reach Out and Read

☀️ When the summer "I'm bored" starts kicking in, try reaching for a picture book. 📚

They can spark big conversations, lots of laughs, and plenty of imagination, no batteries or screens required.

What's your child's favorite picture book right now? Tell us below.

Summer ideas for young readers: Because you know ‘I’m bored!’ is coming These 5 picture books have ideas — and perspective: Recommendations from columnist and teacher Caroline Luzzatto.

Parenting young children has never been easy, and for many families, it’s becoming even harder.

New ZERO TO THREE data highlights growing concerns around affordability, mental health, and child development.

Families with babies are carrying an overwhelming amount of stress right now. A new national snapshot found that:

- Nearly half of parents (44%) reported some level of difficulty paying for the basics in 2025, the highest rate in the past five years. Families with low incomes, families of color and rural communities faced the greatest challenges.

- About 1 in 5 parents screened positive for elevated anxiety and/or depressive symptoms in 2025, a three-year high that rose even higher across the year.

- Over half of parents (55%) reported being concerned about their child’s learning, development or behavior and about a quarter reported being very concerned, a rate that is double any previous year since 2020.

- While 46% of parents reported they felt hopeful about the future most of the time at the start of 2025, this rate dropped to 33% in the second half of the year.

And through it all, families continued showing up for their babies with love, connection and resilience. The first three years matter deeply. Families need policies that support affordable health care, food security, stable housing, mental health support, paid leave and access to quality child care.

Read the report: https://bit.ly/430njje