Instilling love of books in children (illustration)
Photo: Visual Photos
Israeli parents for bedtime reading
Poll conducted on behalf of non-profit program Sifriyat Pijama reveals over 50% of all parents with kids up to age of six read to them nearly every day
Fifty-seven percent of parents in Israel
are convinced that bedtime reading is the best method for instilling love of books in children, especially in today's technological world of TV and computers, according to a recent Teleseker (TNS) poll conducted on behalf of Sifriyat Pijama,
a non-profit program which distributes free books to pre-school children across the country.
The poll, which sampled 500 Jewish respondents over the age of 18, examined parents' story-reading habits, and found that 85% of all parents with children to the age of six read to them two to three times a week, and more than 50% read to their children every day or nearly every day.
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"We are thrilled with the results of this poll, and inspired to carry on the Sifriyat Pijama mission of providing parents with quality books to read to their children. Not only are we helping to build libraries in homes, this is also a vital channel of reinforcing a common legacy of Jewish heritage," said Galina Vroman, executive director of Sifriyat Pijama and Keren Grinspoon Israel (Grinspoon Foundation Israel). .
According to the poll, 62.4% of the respondents expressed satisfaction with the general quality of children's books available on the market today, but most parents in Israel (87.8%) believe that books for pre-school children should relate to central values of Jewish heritage.
"Our ongoing challenge is to identify and stimulate the increased publication of great children's books that can tell a compelling story while at the same time amplify and advance Jewish and universal values," added Vroman.
"We are confident that the Israeli community of writers and publishers of children's books will take these results to heart. We very much look forward to building partnerships and new relationships as this happens."
Additional results of the poll showed that 95.8% of the population thinks that private and government-funded programs to distribute books to preschool children in order to encourage reading are important.
Sifriyat Pijama, which launched in 2009, has distributed almost half a million books a year to pre-school children across the country in a joint venture with the Ministry of Education.
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