Southampton Hospital Re-Launches Books For Babies Program

In honor of National Literacy Month in September, Southampton Hospital collaborated with several community partners to re-launch its Books for Babies program.

The program, which received support from the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, BookHampton, Children’s Museum of the East End, Southampton Teachers Association, and Penguin Random House, provide parents who deliver their babies at Southampton Hospital’s Kathleen D. Allen Maternity Center with a tote bag filled with books.

The books (available in English and Spanish) will allow parents to nurture their child’s cognitive, language, and social-emotional development from an early age.

A list of local libraries is also provided to encourage families to continue reading together.

By December 1, 2015 (#GivingTuesday), the Hospital hopes to have raised $5,000 to cover the cost of 1,000 Books for Babies bags that will be distributed in 2016.

“The Books for Babies program allows Southampton Hospital to serve families beyond the healthcare setting.” Stacey Brosnan, CNM, MS, Maternity Center Nurse Manager said. ”We are helping them get a head start on their child’s development, which is so critical in the first years.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), reading proficiency by third grade is the most significant predictor of high school graduation and career success.

However, only two-thirds of U.S. third-graders lack competent reading skills.

The study also reports that children who are read to during infancy and preschool years tend to develop superior language skills when they start school and are more interested in reading.

To support the effort, donate online at http://tinyurl.com/booksforbabies2016, call (631) 726-8700, ext. 5, or send a check to: Southampton Hospital Foundation, Books for Babies 2016, 240 Meeting House Lane, Southampton, NY 11968.

Photo caption: (l. to r., standing) Steve Long, Executive Director, Children’s Museum of the East End; Steven Bernstein, President, Southampton Hospital Foundation; Stacey Brosnan, CNM, Nurse Manager, Kathleen D. Allen Maternity Center; Sarah Doherty, Southampton Store Manager, BookHampton; and Andrew Sabin, Andrew Sabin Family Foundation. (l. to r., seated) Maureen Flanagan and Diane Guida, Southampton Teachers Association. (not pictured) Charlene Spektor, Owner, BookHampton