Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice: Technical Report.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric primary care
• Early childhood development
• Public health interventions

Background:

• Early literacy promotion in pediatric settings supports parents in reading with children from birth.
• This practice offers counseling on interactive strategies and provides age-appropriate books.
• It is recognized as an essential component by the American Academy of Pediatrics since 2014.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the evidence supporting early literacy promotion in pediatric primary care.
• To highlight the benefits for child development, family well-being, and healthcare providers.
• To emphasize its role as a universal primary prevention strategy.

Main Methods:

• This technical report reviews existing evidence on clinic-based literacy promotion.
• It examines the impact of evidence-based models implemented with fidelity.
• The review synthesizes findings on child, parent, and provider outcomes.

Main Results:

• Reading with young children supports language, cognitive, and social-emotional development, and early brain development.
• Clinic-based literacy promotion strengthens early relational health and improves school readiness.
• High-quality literacy promotion is crucial for children facing disparities due to social factors, systemic racism, and socioeconomic risk.

Conclusions:

• Early literacy promotion in pediatric primary care is a strengths-based, universal prevention strategy.
• It benefits children, parents, and healthcare providers, particularly for vulnerable populations.
• Sustainable funding models are needed to implement this practice effectively on a population level.