Health First’s Seaside pediatric practice recently onboarded about 150 books to give away to its patients ages 0 to 5.

“What we’ve found in medicine is that improved literacy improves health outcomes overall, throughout every phase of life,” said Dr. Sheila McLeod.

Tammy Miller brought her twin 2-1/2-year-old boys in to see Dr. Sheila McLeod for a well check last month, and as they waited, they flipped through a Berenstein Bears book. When they left, the boys each got a book to take home with them.

“It's part of the experience now,” Miller said. “They're going to be like, ‘Hey, can we go to the doctor and get a book?’ … and not just remember the shots!”

The presence of books accompanied by a short explanation from a health authority made parents significantly more likely to read with their infants and young children, to do so daily, and to use books to engage with their baby or child, according to its research.

READ the full story, including what surprising results researchers uncovered about the reading habits of adults in houses with children's books, in Space Coast Daily HERE.