Military children are faced with many changes in their young lives, leading to disruptions in routines that can have lifelong implications. They can even fall behind in reading skills, which can have profound effects on their academic careers and futures.
Listen to our Ready for Reading Podcast, hosted by military spouse, mom, and United Through Reading staff member Josie Beets, to learn why military families should establish reading routines with their children and how to make reading fun for the whole family.
Listen to new CEO Tim Farrell and host Josie Beets discuss Tim’s background as an Airman, what he’s learned in his post-active duty career working with military nonprofits, and how United Through Reading can offer military families even more opportunities to connect through reading.
See our full show notes here.
Patty Barron is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy and she joins us in Episode 2 to discuss the programs and resources her office provides to help support military families. She also shares how the DoD is working to make accessing resources even easier through technology. Patty is a military spouse and the mother of a military spouse, so she has a deep understanding of what military family life is like. You’ll hear her share stories about how books influenced her life and how they played a role in raising her military kids.
See our full show notes here.
United Through Reading’s own Molly Haskin, a licensed, certified Speech Language Pathologist, joins Josie to discuss what reading looks like at every reading stage, from newborn all the way through the teen years. You’ll hear fascinating information on everything from the science of reading to how reading with your children can provide helpful information when moving and changing schools.
See our full show notes here.
Dr. Dorinda Williams is an infant and early childhood mental health expert with Zero to Three, an organization dedicated to ensuring that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. She’s also a military spouse and has spent much of her career working with military families. Dorinda is the author of Over There, a book that can be found on the bookshelves of many military families and a particular favorite here at United Through Reading.
In this interview, you’ll hear what’s going on in a baby’s brain in the early years, why positive early experiences like reading are so important for small kids, and why Dorinda ended up writing her book Over There. You’ll also discover a few great books for our littlest military kids.
See our full show notes here.
Victoria Jamieson is the author of the graphic novel and New York Times Best Seller Roller Girl, and she joins Josie to discuss how she became an author and illustrator and why graphic novels are great reads for kids. In this interview, you’ll hear Victoria talk about her hit book Roller Girl as well as her most recent book When Stars Are Scattered. Josie and Victoria also share a few more of their best book recommendations for military tweens.
See our full show notes here.
If you have a military teen, this podcast is a must-listen. Matthew Oh and Elena Ashburn join Josie and share stories on what it’s like to be a military teen and how that led to the creation of their organization, Bloom Military Teens. They also talk about what books they’ve found helpful over the years.
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Veterans United Home Loans. Veterans United Home Loans is dedicated to helping Veterans and military families become homeowners.
See our full show notes here.
Marty Martinez is the CEO of Reach Out and Read and a champion of children’s health. He and Josie discuss why reading builds connection, and also why that connection and bonding is so important to a child’s healthy development. They also discuss the research on why reading routines are so important for kids and families, and how those little moments of reading matter.
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Veterans United Home Loans. Veterans United Home Loans is dedicated to helping Veterans and military families become homeowners.
See our full show notes here.
Samantha Hagan-Lingad, the woman behind our book selection, joins us on this episode with special guest interviewer and Director of Communications, Jessica Hall. They discuss how United Through Reading chooses books for our library, why it’s important for those books to be diverse, and some great titles that you can read to your kids and request from our library, especially for kids in the 4 to 8-year-old age range.
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Veterans United Home Loans. Veterans United Home Loans is dedicated to helping Veterans and military families become homeowners.
See our full show notes here.
Ever wondered what it takes to change the world? Meet author Brad Meltzer in this special bonus episode of Ready for Reading, hosted by United Through Reading’s CEO, Tim Farrell. Brad’s Ordinary People Change the World children’s book series are always featured on our reading lists because they illustrate just how normal the most accomplished of people were before they became the legends we know today. Listen to Brad discuss his experience with military families, why he wrote these books, and why, especially for military kids, the real heroes are the ones they live with every day.
See our full show notes here.
Military children deserve to be celebrated and to connect through their shared experiences. We’re helping grow that connection with each other and between military parents and their children with our new initiative, Book for the Military Child. You’ll hear from our program manager, Laura Steiner, on the book we chose, The Kissing Hand. You’ll also hear from the author of the book, Audrey Penn, along with special guest and longtime military spouse and mom, Melodye Whitesell.
See our full show notes here.
United Through Reading is back with a new season of Ready for Reading. This podcast is a resource for military families to help strengthen bonds and grow stronger through the magic of reading. This season, we'll introduce you to 8 people who share tips and recommend books to fuel your family's reading routine. So snuggle up and get ready for Season 2 of Ready for Reading!
Listen to Christy VanVleck, a Navy military spouse and mom, as she shares why she began a reading routine and why she feels it's so important for her family to have a reading routine together. You'll also hear from Dr. Lee Savio Beers, a pediatrician in Washington, DC, a professor of pediatrics at Children's National Hospital, and a former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (2021).
The VanVleck family
Dr. Lee Savio Beers
Children's National Hospital
Hear from Navy Lieutenant Commander Graham Van Hook on how his family focuses on routines and how he makes reading time fun. You'll also hear from Alicia Levi, CEO of Reading is Fundamental, on why reading routines matter and tips for reading to your children.
The Van Hook Family
Alicia Levi
Reading Is Fundamental
Listen to mom, teacher and Marine Corps military spouse Liz Castro share how reading routines help family readiness and her advice to her fellow military spouses. You'll also hear from Dr. Mark Pisano, a clinical psychologist who has been working with military kids for 39 years, on why connection between military family members is so important and how reading together can help build that connection.
The Castros
Dr. Mark Pisano
Clinical Psychologist
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