NEA and Renaissance Dental Promote Reading and Oral Health This Read Across America Day

The largest professional employee organization in the US, the National Education Association (NEA) represents 3.2 million education professionals in public schools and higher education institutions committed to advancing the cause of public education. Headquartered in Washington, DC, NEA has affiliate organizations in every state across the country. Recently, NEA and Renaissance Dental sponsored a special read-in held at the New York Public Library to kick off the 16th annual Read Across America Day.

The award-winning literacy program, which highlights the magnitude of developing an appreciation for reading at a young age, was founded by NEA in 1997 in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Random House. Since then, Read Across America Day has become the largest reading event in the nation, seeing more than 45 million participants annually. Read Across America Day is celebrated every year on or around the birthday of children's book author Dr. Seuss. This year, the program is educating students about the importance of good oral health and reading habits through the easy-to-remember equation of 2 x 2 + 20, which means brush your teeth two times a day for two minutes plus read for 20 minutes each day.


According to NEA president Dennis Van Roekel, “This Read Across America Day, we want students to sink their teeth into a good book. When students are absent from class due to oral health problems, they're missing out on critical instruction time.”

In fact, students in America miss 51 million hours of school every year due to oral health issues, many of which can be easily fixed and prevented. Additionally, kids who don't read at grade level by fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of school. To remind them of the 2 x 2 + 20 habit, the children who attended the read-in each received a goodie bag with a toothbrush, a copy of The Cat in the Hat, and healthy snacks.