Reading Bees

Reading Bees was developed by pediatricians and other experts to provide science-based tips, encouragement and resources to help build your child’s reading skills, relationships and brain for success in school and life. Content is tailored to the child’s age, family routines, needs and location, including services, community programs, book lists, libraries, school readiness, reading milestones and fun ways to limit screen time.

Parents set their own reading goals and log progress and concerns in an icon-based Journal to see their child’s “reading garden” grow!

Reading Bees includes “how-to” video playlists and science-based tips matched to the child’s age and family needs including:

• The SHARE/STEP approach to reading with infants and young toddlers
• Dialogic Reading for older toddlers and up
• How reading shapes the developing brain
• When and how to limit screen time

It also provides links to non-profit national and community partners and high-quality, reliable resources, including Local resources that are convenient and/or eligible for the user's ZIP code:

• Reading skills and milestones
• Recommended children’s book lists
• Libraries and book distribution programs
• Quality childcare, preschool and kindergarten
• Playgroups, free story times and parent support networks
• Services for children and grownups with reading difficulties.
• Limiting screen time and encouraging healthy alternatives.

By logging reading routines and concerns up to once per day, users can earn Awards for reaching or raising their goals, trying tips and exploring resources - though the best award of all is loving time spent sharing books with a child!

Reading Bees also sends text messages targeted by ZIP code and child age range but only when likely to be helpful (i.e. not generic encouragement), such as alerts for new reading-related programs or services that the user may be eligible for or interested in, including during emergencies such as COVID-19.