The DC Public Library’s Sing, Talk, and Read (S.T.A.R.) program approached Taoti to help foster lifelong reading habits among young children. The initiative called, “Books From Birth”, gifts children a free book each month until their fifth birthday. Spearheaded by Dolly Parton in 1995 in Tennessee, the project has grown nationally and internationally.
Research shows that conversations, gestures, and interactions between parents/caregivers and children from birth build a foundation for learning. Washington, D.C. families lacked access to books or the skills needed to help children develop into strong readers.
Taoti helped change that, one book at a time.
