The promotion of early reading to children from birth and throughout the pre-school years is one of the actions we implement to improve positive parenthood and tackle educational poverty. “Read me tight” collect our whole experience in this field, proposing early reading workshops for parents and children aged 0-6 and organizing a small library for children available to families who attend our services, to allow parents to borrow books and continuing at home what we do during workshops.

To a parent, reading to a very small child, since first months or weeks from his/her birth, means experiencing a new way of connecting to the child, discovering unexpected skills and needs. In vulnerable contexts, early reading in a safe environment, shared with other parents and cared for by trusted operators, is an opportunity to face one’s own parenting skill without feeling judged or evaluated, getting tools to develop positive and responsive parenthood.

Books are a precious tool for all actors involved in the activity. For children, who can get in contact early with shapes, colours, sounds, words that feed and stimulate their imagination in the reassuring presence of mum or dad; for parents, who see their children alert and responsive to stories and images and learn that this is another way of “feeding” them; for operators who, during workshops, have the chance to observe relational attitudes between parents and children and work with them in a light and cheerful environment, sharing useful information to strengthen their parenting skills.

“Read me tight” is a project funded by Fondazione Banco di Napoli per l’Assistenza all’Infanzia and carried out with Associazione Leggere Per and Associazione Culturale Pediatri – Campania.