The DuPrae family recently stopped by theOttawa County Board of Development Disabilities office with a wonderful surprise for the Early Intervention (E.I.) Program—a box of brand-new books to share!

Little sister Millie has benefited from the program, and her family wanted to show their appreciation. They organized a book drive to share her love for story time with other children in our E.I. family. The books were gifted to them this Christmas season.

Millie’s siblings, Dalton and Nora, used their allowances to buy some of the books, and the rest were donated through the book drive.

“Reading to babies and young children is so important,” says pediatrician Sarah Klein, MD. “It provides the building blocks for language. And it gives them the tools for forming lifelong social and emotional skills.”

There are so many reasons to share a daily story with your child.

When reading a good book, your child sees your facial expressions and hears you using many different emotions and expressive sounds. This supports social and emotional development.

During story time you should encourage your child to look, point, touch, and answer questions. This helps with social development and thinking skills.

Reading together improves a child’s language skills by copying sounds, recognizing pictures, and learning words.

Snuggling up to read a book together signals safety, love and an emotional connection that strengthens your bond.

Ottawa County has several ways for families to get free books. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has mailed almost 171 million free books to children all over the world, including some in Ottawa County. Get more information at www.imaginationlibrary.com. There are also Little Free Library boxes located throughout the county.