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United States Value:
Percentage of children ages 0-5 whose family members read, sang or told stories to them every day during the past week (2-year estimate)
Percentage of Hawaiian/Pacific Islander children ages 0-5 whose family members read, sang or told stories to them every day during the past week (2-year estimate)
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US Value: 59.7 %
Top State(s): Vermont: 74.9 %
Bottom State(s): Mississippi: 47.8 %
Definition: Percentage of children ages 0-5 whose family members read, sang or told stories to them every day during the past week (2-year estimate)
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, National Survey of Children's Health, 2023-2024
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, National Survey of Children's Health, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Reading aloud to children was described as the most important factor in developing literacy by the Commission on Reading’s 1985 landmark report Becoming a Nation of Readers. Research has shown that regularly reading aloud to children under the age of 5 stimulates patterns of brain development that strengthen language, literacy and social-emotional skills at a critical time.
Reading, singing and storytelling are beneficial for children in any language the speaker feels comfortable using. These activities make communication easy and fun while helping children learn about language structure. Research has also found that reading dual-language books to children improves their vocabulary in both languages.
Other language-rich experiences that benefit brain development and future school success include talking and singing to young children. Talking, reading and singing together also strengthen the interactive relationship between young children and adults, which is an important part of healthy brain development and reinforces bonds foundational to future relationships.
According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of daily reading, singing or storytelling to children by a parent or caregiver is higher among:
Additional research shows that higher-income households have a higher percentage of children who are read to every day, compared with households with lower incomes. The same is true for daily singing and storytelling.
There are concerns that this measure may not be interpreted the same way based on cultural and language differences and thus the prevalence may be underestimated among certain racial and ethnic groups. Some families may experience language barriers or lack access to books in their language, while others may not count engaging in their oral traditions or other forms of storytelling when asked this question.
Some states have implemented evidence-based initiatives to encourage reading, singing and storytelling among parents. Early Head Start programs (intended for those ages 0-3) help children develop strong bonds with their caregivers and meet early childhood development goals for language, literacy, cognition, motor skills and more. Other evidence-based programs include Raising a Reader and Reach Out and Read. These programs help parents establish interactive reading routines with their children, connect families to local libraries and provide children with books.
Healthy People 2030 has an objective to increase the proportion of children whose parents read to them at least four days a week.
Anderson, Richard Chase, Elfrieda H. Hebert, Judith A. Scott, and Ian A. G. Wilkinson. Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading. United States: National Academy of Education, 1985. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED253865.
Chen, Roxana, Jacquelyn Hermer, Devon Love, Anne McNair, Kristin Moore, and Sara Jaye Sanford. How Are King County Caregivers Building Strong Attachments by Reading, Singing, and Telling Stories with Their Children? Best Starts for Kids Health Survey Data Brief. King County, July 2018. https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dchs/human-social-services/community-funded-initiatives/best-starts-for-kids/dashboard-data-reports/-/media/king-county/depts/dchs/best-starts/documents/Data%20Briefs/Best_Starts_Data_Brief_Child_Attachment.ashx.
Grøver, Vibeke, Veslemøy Rydland, Jan-Eric Gustafsson, and Catherine E. Snow. “Shared Book Reading in Preschool Supports Bilingual Children’s Second-Language Learning: A Cluster-Randomized Trial.” Child Development 91, no. 6 (November 2020): 2192–2210. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13348.
High, Pamela C., Perri Klass, Elaine Donoghue, Danette Glassy, Beth DelConte, Marian Earls, Dina Lieser, et al. “Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice.” Pediatrics 134, no. 2 (August 1, 2014): 404–9. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-1384.
Shaw, Alyson. “Read, Speak, Sing: Promoting Early Literacy in the Health Care Setting.” Paediatrics & Child Health 26, no. 3 (April 27, 2021): 182–88.https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxab005.
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