IICF partners with Sesame Street to improve literacy

Research shows that prior to starting school, children from high-income families benefit from 400 hours more literacy-related activities than children from low-income families. Furthermore, by age 4, a high-income child is exposed to 35 million more words than a low-income child. 

“Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day” encompasses tips, games and activites that parents, caregivers and volunteers can engage children with to improve their reading and writing skills from an early age. Best of all, these resources, found at SesameStreet.org/literacy, are free to parents throughout the country. Specifically, the program includes:

• Video segments that draw from everyday life and model ways for parents to easily engage their children in activities around vocabulary, reading, and writing;
• Materials volunteers can use to plan fun-filled literacy-based experiences for children and families;
• A parent/caregiver guide bursting with information and activities to encourage literacy development for children ages 2 to 5. The guide also includes additional material that parents can use to help form the building blocks for literacy in children ages 0 to 2;
• A new mobile site with videos, games, and activities for parents and volunteers to enjoy with children on-the-go, as well as an online section dedicated to “Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day” on sesamestreet.org.

But why involve the insurance industry?

“We believe we have a civil responsibility to support the development of our youth,” said Bill Ross, CEO of IICF. “And we have the resources available to help. The path to success has always been associated with learning. By partnering with Sesame Street … we can help our children gain an advantage in the competitive world.”