As a former teacher, I saw just how many kids were behind in reading. Now I want to help parents set their kids up for success.

"I never loved reading growing up. Compared to my peers and siblings - who, admittedly, were a very academically rigorous circle - I struggled to read. I lacked confidence, and reading was always a source of some stress for me. After college, I started teaching kindergarteners in Houston through Teach for America. That's when I really saw what a difference early reading makes for kids: not just academically but also in their overall confidence and the joy they find in books."

"When I became a dad, I wanted my son to have something I never had: an easy experience reading. Even today, I'm still only partially interested in reading. I do it because I know it's important, but my struggle trailed me through my teens and into adulthood. I decided to teach my son to read as early as possible. He was fully reading by two. He's now 7 and absolutely devours books - mostly fact books and sports biographies. He genuinely loves reading."

"My younger son is 5 months old, and I'm introducing him to reading, too, by formally reading and giving him textured books to interact with. Today, I work in literacy and see that many parents make mistakes about reading. Here's what I want other parents to know. Reading is critical for kids, so parents must do it Research shows that parents, especially in Gen Z, are reading less to their kids."

A father and former kindergarten teacher struggled with reading as a child and lacked confidence. Teaching kindergarteners revealed how early reading boosts academic success, confidence, and joy. He taught his older son to read by age two; the son now devours fact books and sports biographies and has deeper world knowledge. The father is introducing his five-month-old to books and tactile reading materials. He now works in literacy and observes that many parents make mistakes about reading. Research shows parents—especially Gen Z—are reading less to their children, for reasons including children's disinterest and parents' own reading habits.

Read at Business Insider