“Goodnight comb, goodnight brush.

“Goodnight nobody, goodnight mush.

“Goodnight to the old lady whispering ‘hush.’

“Goodnight stars, goodnight air.

“Good night noises everywhere.”

For the first several years of our daughters’ lives, those were often some of the last words they heard before closing their eyes. Whether it was Goodnight Moon, Brown Bear Brown Bear, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, or a Dr. Seuss classic, my wife and regularly read books to our children from the day they were born.

The truth is that we really didn’t realize the importance of what we were doing. It was entertaining, the kids enjoyed the stories, and it was just part of our nightly bedtime routine.

I’ve now learned, however, that reading to children from an early age is critical to language and brain development – both of which lay the foundation for success in school and life.

Unfortunately, not all children benefit from parents who talk, sing, and read to them on a regular basis.

One study showed that 61 percent of at-risk children have no books in the home. Additional research has found that at-risk children hear 30 million fewer words by age 3 than their more affluent peers. Sadly, these children enter kindergarten with just 25 percent of needed vocabulary, and many never catch up.

The good news is that there are some easy ways and new resources to help all kids develop the vocabulary and literacy skills needed for long-term success. The easiest, of course, is encouraging adults to regularly pick up a book and read to the children in their lives.

If books are in short supply, find a magazine, make up a story, or search for resources online.

In the City of Pomona and soon in the County of San Bernardino, all residents will have access to Footsteps2Brilliance, an early learning mobile game solution that makes learning fun for kids. Footsteps uses cognitive research and a mobile app to deliver thousands of audio-encoded books, songs and games. TalkSingRead.org and Vision2Read.com are two other great literacy resources to check out. Who do you know who needs this information? I hope you’ll pass it along and help create another future reader.