Literacy Lambton is hoping to spark a love of reading in children as soon as they're born through a new, unique program.
Each baby born at Bluewater Health in 2023 will be gifted a handmade "Baby Bookworm" bag.
It contains baby board books, tips for parents on ways to encourage their baby's pre-literacy and pre-language development, a reading log with the goal of 1,000 books before Kindergarten, and resources to connect new parents with local supports.
Literacy Lambton Executive Director Tracy Pound said reading creates a special bond between parents and their babies.
"But it's also so much more than that, it's exposing them to a lot of different words," said Pound. "There are studies that say that parents that not only read but also talk to their babies regularly about the world around them, that's one of the best ways that you can set your child up for school-age success."
Pound said between 1,100 and 1,200 babies are born each year at Bluewater Health.
"I'm hearing rumors that there has been a bit of a baby boom here in Sarnia-Lambton," she said. "We have enough for 1,200 kits for the first year and we're really hoping that this project takes off and that we can attract more sponsors. We want this to grow to become the thing that happens when you have a child that's born at Bluewater Health."
Program partners include Bluewater Health, St. Clair Child & Youth Services, Pathways Centre for Children, Family Counselling Centre, EarlyON Child and Family Centres, and Lambton Learns.
