ST. LOUIS, MO (April 3, 2026) – During Children’s Mental Health Week (May 3-9), Ready Readers is raising awareness of a powerful truth: reading to children during their earliest years improves lifelong mental health and emotional well-being.
Young children rely on stable relationships, resources, and supports during the first few years of life—when their brains are growing rapidly—for healthy development. Nurturing bonds with caregivers, reliable housing, a family’s financial security, safe neighborhood conditions, and more all positively influence a child’s brain and body.
But too many families throughout the St. Louis metro region experience severe or chronic stress—known as toxic stress—created by the cascading effects of poverty, discrimination, and other social drivers of health. Natural disasters like the May 16 tornado and recent closures of early childhood centers—driven by funding loss and ongoing uncertainty—have magnified existing adversity and instability.
“Toxic stress interferes with the critical development of social and emotional skills that children need to thrive in school and life,” says Maggie Strube, Program Director of Ready Readers. “But there is a simple way to help protect children from these threats, and that’s reading together.”
Pediatric research shows that regularly reading aloud to children, by trusted adults, strengthens the nurturing connections needed to shield children from toxic stress. This buffer boosts their mental, behavioral, and emotional health in profound ways that are often overlooked. Further benefits of shared reading include:
Building vocabulary that helps children identify, label, and manage feelings
Creating predicable routines that help children feel safe and secure
Reflecting familiar experiences to build confidence and self-esteem
“Families need to hear this important message: reading together makes a lasting difference,” says Angela Sears Spittal, Executive Director of Ready Readers. “Our community-based programs provide essential early literacy experiences that young children need not only to learn, but to be safe, supported, and well.”
In honor of Children’s Mental Health Week, Ready Readers encourages a greater understanding of the lifelong impacts of adversity on young children’s mental health.
Addressing the disparities across zip codes and collectively investing in the protective factors that help families thrive—including efforts to build literacy-rich environments—is vital to a stronger, healthier St. Louis region full of children who can flourish.
About Ready Readers: Ready Readers expands literacy for young children in low-income communities through high-quality books, strong relationships, and literacy-related experiences, distributing more than 150,000 new books annually and reaching more than 20,000 children throughout the St. Louis metro area.
Media Contact:
Donielle Elizabeth
PR & Media Strategist
Elizabeth Donielle PR & Media Agency
Phone: (314)399-5851
Email: Elizabeth@EDTheBrand.com
Website: www.readyreaders.org
