Reach Out and Read is partnering with The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. to add an additional 25 locations where books are distributed through pediatricians’ offices. The program now involves 89 medical offices across the state.

Most toys on kids’ wish lists will likely require batteries, but one North Carolina group is issuing a reminder that books can offer lifelong value to a child. Reach Out and Read distributes books to 130,000 children in need across the state through pediatricians.

This holiday, the group’s Regional Director, Callee Boulware, hopes people consider giving books as gifts for the children on their list.

“It’s just a win-win for the entire family. Having more books in the child’s life, and them asking whatever grownup is around to sit and read it with them, is such a special time.”

According to Reach Out and Read, one-third of the nation’s kindergarteners begin school without the basic skills necessary for learning to read. And research shows that reading to children, even at the earliest ages, builds their vocabularies and gives them a greater desire to read.

This holiday, the group is partnering with Barnes and Noble in several cities across the state, offering customers the chance to purchase books for children in need through the Reach Out and Read program. Boulware says there are plenty of children who could use a “good read,” and the holidays offer some creative opportunities to make that happen.

“Generally speaking, people’s place of work has a holiday gathering. Well, you know what? Why don’t you challenge your coworkers to bring in some books in lieu of gifts for office members?”

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Families in thirty-seven states are worse off under one or more key child care policies in 2011 than they were in 2010, according to a report released today by the National Women’s Law Center. The report shows that families in only eleven states were better off under one or more child care policy areas than last year, a sharp contrast to NWLC’s findings in the previous year when families in thirty-four states were better off in 2010 than they were in 2009 and worse off in only fifteen states. A year ago, states were benefiting from a $2 billion boost in child care funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act but, by the end of 2010, they had spent most of the funds and were battling severe budget deficits, making it difficult to maintain their prior level of support.

Read the report, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2011: Reduced Support For Families in Challenging Times.

During this morning’s National Smart Start Conference keynote address, presenter Rich Niemand referenced an article in today’s NY Times. The article begins:

Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, made a strong argument for good early childhood care. In a speech in New York City, he argued that the value can be especially high for disadvantaged children with a strong payoff for the economy. These programs can increase high school graduation rates, and graduates earn more, pay more taxes, and rely less on state-provided health care.

Read the full article in the NY Times.