Midland Health in collaboration with Midland County Public Library Foundation (MCPL) and the Permian Basin Area Foundation (PBAF) has launched the Born to Read initiative to encourage parents to read to their newborn. This program also encourages parents to use public libraries for storytime and other library programs. 

“Born to Read” is an initiative to provide a new book to every baby born at Midland Memorial Hospital. That means more than 3,000 books will be provided to newborns each year. On Tuesday, September 11, the partners delivered the first book of the new program to Baby Xaivian. This year’s book is “On the Night You Were Born” by Nancy Tillman. The books will be presented to parents while they are in the hospital and are available in English and Spanish. 

“The developmental benefits of reading to children as infants is a small action that can have a lasting impact on the literacy of our community,” said Tonia Wallace, Director of Women’s and Children’s Services at Midland Memorial Hospital. “We are proud to partner with the MCPL Foundation and the Permian Basin Area Foundation for the Born to Read program, by providing all newborns with their first baby book!” 

Congratulations to Baby Xaivian and his parents who were the first to receive a book!