An innovative reading program developed by faculty members in the Division of Critical Care Medicine brings comfort and more to babies in the Texas Children’s Heart Center®. Called Books@Heart, the program provides books, reading guidance and language development sessions led by speech and language pathologists. Parents and families also receive a reading calendar and stickers to track their reading sessions, with reading medals and trophies awarded to regular readers.
Early language and literacy promotion is an integral part of pediatric and infant care. Research shows that reading to an infant during the first six months of life can increase parent-child reading practices and improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in children by the time they turn 2 years old. Promoting early literacy during infancy is associated with greater vocabulary, better reading comprehension and better school performance.
“Our Books@Heart program has been an instant hit among patients, parents and providers alike. Not only is it beneficial to our patients in the long-run, but parents enjoy reading time with their babies, too. When parents read to their children often, it creates a special bond, sense of intimacy and well-being, which is important for children who are hospitalized long-term, as is sometimes the case for patients with congenital heart disease,” said Kriti Puri, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics-Critical Care at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital.
She and Amanda Ruth, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics-Critical Care¸ collaborated with others in Cardiology, Critical Care and the Heart Center’s Developmental Care team, led by Justin Elhoff, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics-Critical Care, to create the early childhood literacy and reading program for infants in the Heart Center. As of April 2022, the program has impacted 412 children and families, distributing 635 books, which were read 6,365 times, and awarded 161 medals and 114 trophies.
Dr. Puri acknowledged participation and contributions from the advanced practice provider team, therapists, nurses, families and the Women’s Club of Houston. Collaborations, ideas, book suggestions and questions are welcome at booksatheart@texaschildrens.org and Instagram@booksatheart_tch.