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READ TO GROW BOOK LAUNCH AND LUNCHEON

Media Contact: Alix Boyle, Communications Coordinator or Anthony F. DiLauro

Read to Grow, Inc.

Read to Grow Celebrates Early Literacy & the Publication of "Welcome to the World!"

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Sept. 20 Luncheon to Honor Governor Malloy, Yale-New Haven Hospital

BRANFORD, CT - Read to Grow, a statewide literacy nonprofit based in Branford, will celebrate the publication of its new book, "Welcome to the World!" at a luncheon on Sept. 20 and will honor Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on his work on education reform and early literacy as well as Yale-New haven Hospital for its role as Read to Grow's first hospital partner.

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"Welcome to the World!" was written expressly for Read to Grow by renowned children's author Nancy Elizabeth Wallace of Branford and was illustrated by Marsela Hajadinijak-Krec from Croatia. The book was designed to foster language development to pave the way for future learning and brain development. It offers a simple message celebrating families and babies: that learning starts at birth, that the parent is the child's first teacher and that it is never too early to begin reading to a baby. The book will be given to parents on the maternity units of our partner hospitals along with other literacy materials.

"We're really excited about this colorful, charming book that was designed especially for parents to read to new babies," said Anthony F. DiLauro, executive director of Read to Grow. "The story includes all the things that parents can do with their new babies to ensure healthy brain development: read, talk, play, smile and sing. Read to Grow has been promoting reading at birth through visits with new parents in hospitals since  1998."

As part of the celebration, Read to Grow founder Roxanne J. Coady will lead a discussion with Gov. Malloy and Yale-New Haven Health System president and CEO Marna P. Borgstrom about the impact of literacy on poverty and health. The fundraiser is set for Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012 from 12 to 2 p.m. at the New Haven Lawn Club and tickets cost $100. For more information, call Read to Grow at 203-488-6800.

About Read to Grow

Read to Grow (www.readtogrow.org) works to improve early literacy for all Connecticut children. It is the only statewide organization to connect with parents of newborns in the hospital to promote reading aloud from birth. Read to Grow provides free children's books to families and, through a network of community-based health and human service agencies, schools and childcare programs that interact with children of all ages. Read to Grow's programs currently reach 53 percent of the state's new babies and their parents, and the organization has distributed more than 150,000 books to infants, toddlers, school-age children and their families across Connecticut.

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