JAMA Network August 31, 2026 by Kwanghee Jung, PhD; W. Steven Barnett, PhD

Parent-child shared book reading supports early language, literacy, cognitive, and socioemotional development.^1,2 The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted preschool participation, family routines, and home learning environments.^3,4 Although pandemic-related declines in school readiness have been documented,^5,6 less is known about changes in home literacy practices. We examined trends in parent-reported shared book reading among US preschool-aged children from 2020 through 2024 and variables associated with frequent reading.

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