{
  "id": 9649048,
  "title": "Researchers expand touchpoints to enhance literacy promotion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/researchers-expand-touchpoints-to-enhance-literacy-promotion",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-24T23:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-touchpoints-literacy.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers at Rutgers University have discovered that integrating literacy promotion programs with community-based support services can significantly enhance the literacy development of Latino children from birth to 18 months. The study, published in Pediatrics, is one of the first to examine a multi-pronged approach to literacy promotion.\n\nThe research, led by Manuel E. Jimenez, associate professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, found that combining literacy promotion programs with text messaging to caregivers and referrals to Connecting New Jersey, a statewide initiative providing support services for young children, resulted in better verbal responsiveness and social-emotional development in children at 9 and 18 months compared to standard literacy promotion alone.\n\nAccording to the National Report Card, only a third of U.S. fourth graders read proficiently or above. Furthermore, a 2025 study revealed literacy disparities among racial and ethnic groups, with Black and Hispanic children more likely to face early reading difficulties.\n\nLiteracy promotion programs, such as Reach Out and Read, which encourages families to incorporate reading into their routines with the support of primary care providers, can improve reading and communication skills. However, evidence suggests that additional strategies, like text messaging between doctor visits, can yield even more positive outcomes.\n\nThe study included three intervention strategies: literacy promotion with free books and reading modeling during preventive visits starting at 6 months of age; text messaging for 18 months; and a combination of the aforementioned strategies with referrals to Connecting New Jersey. The results showed that the combined approach produced significant improvements in verbal responsiveness and social-emotional development at both 9 and 18 months.\n\nJimenez emphasized that the study provides evidence that integrating primary care-based literacy promotion with community-based support can optimize its impact on relational and developmental health. He added that pediatric clinicians can work with existing literacy promotion programs to put the study's findings into practice, such as through clinician modeling during literacy promotion, which has been shown to enhance the quantity, quality, and diversity of home reading activities.",
  "summary": "Literacy promotion programs, combined with community-based support programs, can affect literacy development in Latino children from birth to 18 months of age, Rutgers researchers have found.",
  "key_points": [
    "Integrating literacy programs with community support enhances Latino children's development.",
    "Study demonstrates impact of multi-pronged approach on early childhood literacy."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}