Increase the proportion of children whose family read to them at least 4 days per week — EMC‑02 Data

National Status: Little or no detectable change

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Most Recent Data:
56.9 percent (2022-23)

National Target:
62.8 percent ¹

Desired Direction:
Increase desired

National Baseline:
57.9 percent of children aged 5 years and under had parents or caregivers who reported that someone in their family read to the child 4 or more days in the past week in 2016-17 ²

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Data Table

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Demographic Group

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Confidence Interval (CI) not available Standard Error (SE) not available Confidence Interval (CI) and Standard Error (SE) are not available

Display data for:

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week , 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
Total	57.9 CI 56.3 / 59.6 SE 0.845	54.9 CI 53.3 / 56.5 SE 0.813	54.9 CI 53.6 / 56.1 SE 0.644	56.9 CI 55.8 / 57.9 SE 0.540

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Sex, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
Male	57.0 CI 54.6 / 59.3 SE 1.203	53.5 CI 51.3 / 55.8 SE 1.146	54.6 CI 52.9 / 56.3 SE 0.868	55.7 CI 54.2 / 57.2 SE 0.768
Female	58.9 CI 56.5 / 61.2 SE 1.184	56.3 CI 54.1 / 58.6 SE 1.151	55.1 CI 53.2 / 57.0 SE 0.955	58.1 CI 56.6 / 59.6 SE 0.759

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Race/Ethnicity, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
American Indian or Alaska Native only	44.3 CI 31.4 / 57.9 SE 6.914	46.0 CI 29.8 / 63.1 SE 8.823	32.7 CI 22.8 / 44.3 SE 5.545	42.9 CI 34.2 / 52.0 SE 4.593
Asian only	48.0 CI 40.8 / 55.3 SE 3.740	44.4 CI 37.9 / 51.1 SE 3.409	50.6 CI 44.9 / 56.2 SE 2.912	50.1 CI 46.5 / 53.8 SE 1.889
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander only	47.1 CI 23.2 / 72.5 SE 13.784	38.1 CI 16.4 / 65.9 SE 13.743	22.3 CI 14.3 / 33.0 SE 4.791	35.9 CI 23.9 / 49.9 SE 6.779
Black or African American only	46.0 CI 41.2 / 50.9 SE 2.491	34.4 CI 30.0 / 39.0 SE 2.325	41.1 CI 37.4 / 44.9 SE 1.909	41.5 CI 38.1 / 45.0 SE 1.756
White only	60.4 CI 58.4 / 62.3 SE 0.980	59.4 CI 57.5 / 61.2 SE 0.932	58.0 CI 56.6 / 59.5 SE 0.752	59.9 CI 58.6 / 61.2 SE 0.649
2 or more races	64.4 CI 58.2 / 70.1 SE 3.061	58.2 CI 52.8 / 63.3 SE 2.698	60.6 CI 56.9 / 64.2 SE 1.857	60.8 CI 57.9 / 63.6 SE 1.459
Hispanic or Latino	46.5 CI 41.9 / 51.2 SE 2.385	43.5 CI 39.3 / 47.7 SE 2.165	37.6 CI 34.7 / 40.6 SE 1.492	43.6 CI 41.1 / 46.2 SE 1.308
Not Hispanic or Latino	61.5 CI 60.0 / 63.1 SE 0.797	58.7 CI 57.2 / 60.3 SE 0.781	60.6 CI 59.3 / 61.9 SE 0.648	61.7 CI 60.6 / 62.8 SE 0.542
American Indian or Alaska Native only, not Hispanic or Latino	49.6 CI 34.4 / 65.0 SE 8.065	43.9 CI 29.2 / 59.8 SE 8.042	43.7 CI 33.5 / 54.6 SE 5.463	48.9 CI 39.1 / 58.9 SE 5.126
Asian only, not Hispanic or Latino	50.5 CI 42.8 / 58.3 SE 3.983	45.8 CI 39.7 / 52.1 SE 3.172	51.8 CI 46.4 / 57.1 SE 2.724	48.5 CI 44.9 / 52.2 SE 1.862
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander only, not Hispanic or Latino	33.9 CI 13.3 / 63.1 SE 13.786	38.6 CI 18.9 / 62.9 SE 11.988	27.6 CI 14.6 / 45.9 SE 8.156	36.9 CI 22.4 / 54.3 SE 8.409
Black or African American only, not Hispanic or Latino	45.3 CI 40.3 / 50.5 SE 2.614	34.6 CI 30.0 / 39.5 SE 2.412	41.5 CI 37.6 / 45.4 SE 2.001	40.7 CI 37.2 / 44.4 SE 1.858
White only, not Hispanic or Latino	66.3 CI 64.6 / 67.9 SE 0.835	65.4 CI 63.8 / 67.0 SE 0.818	66.0 CI 64.6 / 67.4 SE 0.704	67.5 CI 66.3 / 68.6 SE 0.600
2 or more races, not Hispanic or Latino	63.3 CI 58.1 / 68.2 SE 2.590	61.5 CI 56.3 / 66.5 SE 2.600	64.0 CI 60.0 / 67.8 SE 1.993	64.1 CI 61.0 / 67.1 SE 1.562

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Age group, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
0-2 years	55.3 CI 52.9 / 57.7 SE 1.212	52.7 CI 50.4 / 55.0 SE 1.188	54.5 CI 52.7 / 56.3 SE 0.932	56.4 CI 54.8 / 58.0 SE 0.822
3-5 years	60.5 CI 58.1 / 62.7 SE 1.177	57.0 CI 54.8 / 59.2 SE 1.109	55.2 CI 53.4 / 56.9 SE 0.892	57.4 CI 55.9 / 58.7 SE 0.712

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Educational attainment (of most highly educated adult, 25 years and over), 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
Less than High school	34.2 CI 25.8 / 43.7 SE 4.616	28.9 CI 20.9 / 38.4 SE 4.511	25.3 CI 20.2 / 31.2 SE 2.803	31.8 CI 26.3 / 37.8 SE 2.924
High school	43.3 CI 38.3 / 48.4 SE 2.590	36.5 CI 32.3 / 40.8 SE 2.177	36.3 CI 33.1 / 39.6 SE 1.650	39.7 CI 36.8 / 42.6 SE 1.498
Some college or Associate degree	51.7 CI 48.0 / 55.4 SE 1.880	46.5 CI 43.2 / 49.9 SE 1.698	45.4 CI 42.7 / 48.2 SE 1.387	48.4 CI 46.0 / 50.8 SE 1.224
4-year college degree or more	69.1 CI 67.3 / 70.9 SE 0.909	69.3 CI 67.5 / 71.0 SE 0.879	68.2 CI 66.7 / 69.6 SE 0.742	68.3 CI 67.1 / 69.5 SE 0.597

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Family income (percent poverty threshold), 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
<100	43.6 CI 38.8 / 48.4 SE 2.442	38.0 CI 34.0 / 42.3 SE 2.117	36.8 CI 33.5 / 40.2 SE 1.693	37.8 CI 34.6 / 41.1 SE 1.646
100-199	50.5 CI 46.1 / 54.9 SE 2.249	44.0 CI 40.2 / 47.9 SE 1.958	45.5 CI 42.4 / 48.6 SE 1.578	45.8 CI 42.9 / 48.6 SE 1.457
200-399	59.7 CI 56.7 / 62.6 SE 1.494	56.2 CI 53.2 / 59.1 SE 1.494	54.1 CI 51.7 / 56.6 SE 1.254	57.2 CI 55.2 / 59.2 SE 1.020
400+	71.9 CI 69.6 / 74.1 SE 1.148	71.4 CI 68.9 / 73.8 SE 1.256	71.5 CI 69.6 / 73.3 SE 0.958	72.5 CI 71.1 / 73.9 SE 0.732

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Health insurance status, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
Insured	58.9 CI 57.2 / 60.6 SE 0.856	55.7 CI 54.0 / 57.3 SE 0.835	55.7 CI 54.4 / 57.0 SE 0.658	57.9 CI 56.8 / 58.9 SE 0.546
Private	67.4 CI 65.6 / 69.2 SE 0.912	65.4 CI 63.6 / 67.2 SE 0.907	65.5 CI 64.1 / 67.0 SE 0.734	67.9 CI 66.7 / 69.1 SE 0.604
Public	46.4 CI 43.4 / 49.5 SE 1.569	40.6 CI 37.7 / 43.6 SE 1.515	40.1 CI 37.9 / 42.4 SE 1.155	41.6 CI 39.6 / 43.5 SE 0.999
Uninsured	40.0 CI 32.3 / 48.3 SE 4.116	42.2 CI 35.7 / 49.1 SE 3.439	41.2 CI 35.6 / 47.1 SE 2.950	41.1 CI 36.0 / 46.4 SE 2.669

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Geographic location, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
Metropolitan	58.6 CI 56.8 / 60.4 SE 0.928	55.6 CI 53.8 / 57.3 SE 0.892	55.6 CI 54.2 / 56.9 SE 0.701	57.4 CI 56.2 / 58.6 SE 0.592
Non-metropolitan	52.6 CI 49.2 / 55.8 SE 1.686	49.8 CI 46.4 / 53.2 SE 1.743	49.8 CI 46.7 / 52.8 SE 1.544	53.2 CI 50.7 / 55.6 SE 1.243

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Marital status (of parents, 18 years and over), 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
Married/Cohabiting partner	60.2 CI 58.4 / 62.0 SE 0.905	58.3 CI 56.5 / 60.1 SE 0.907	57.8 CI 56.3 / 59.1 SE 0.714	60.5 CI 59.4 / 61.7 SE 0.576
Divorced, separated, widowed	55.1 CI 48.6 / 61.5 SE 3.314	42.9 CI 36.3 / 49.6 SE 3.405	43.2 CI 37.3 / 49.3 SE 3.075	47.0 CI 41.9 / 52.2 SE 2.645
Never married	46.7 CI 40.4 / 53.1 SE 3.265	41.7 CI 36.5 / 47.1 SE 2.716	41.4 CI 37.2 / 45.6 SE 2.135	36.8 CI 32.9 / 40.9 SE 2.055

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Country of birth (of parents), 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
US	63.5 CI 61.8 / 65.2 SE 0.862	60.3 CI 58.5 / 62.0 SE 0.886	60.5 CI 59.1 / 61.9 SE 0.704	62.1 CI 60.9 / 63.3 SE 0.599
Outside US	45.5 CI 41.8 / 49.3 SE 1.908	44.3 CI 40.5 / 48.0 SE 1.912	41.9 CI 39.1 / 44.8 SE 1.443	45.1 CI 42.8 / 47.5 SE 1.182

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Veteran status (of parents, 20 years and over), 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
Veteran	DNA	57.4 CI 51.0 / 63.6 SE 3.231	58.6 CI 53.0 / 64.0 SE 2.815	63.3 CI 59.1 / 67.3 SE 2.087
Non-veteran	DNA	56.1 CI 54.4 / 57.8 SE 0.867	55.4 CI 54.1 / 56.7 SE 0.684	57.4 CI 56.3 / 58.5 SE 0.570

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Disability status, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
Disability status	DNA	DNA	DNA	DNA

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Special health care needs, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ^◊
(percent)
Increase desired

Population	2016-17	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23
Yes	59.9 CI 55.6 / 64.0 SE 2.138	53.7 CI 49.7 / 57.6 SE 2.017	54.3 CI 50.9 / 57.7 SE 1.728	54.6 CI 52.2 / 57.0 SE 1.217
No	57.6 CI 55.8 / 59.4 SE 0.918	55.1 CI 53.4 / 56.8 SE 0.888	54.9 CI 53.6 / 56.3 SE 0.694	57.3 CI 56.1 / 58.5 SE 0.599

Disparity

Reference rate:

Data Source: National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), HRSA/MCHB

1 Target has been revised. See Data Methodology and Measurement for more information.

2 Baseline has been revised. See Data Methodology and Measurement for more information.

#: Standard errors and confidence intervals are not available for this population group.

◊: Unless otherwise noted, data represent "percent, 0–5 years"

†: Target is not applicable for this demographic group.

DSU: Data do not meet the criteria for statistical reliability, data quality, or confidentiality.

DNA: Data have not been analyzed.

DNC: Data for specific population not collected.

--- : Data are not available.

Learn more about data measurement for this objective

Increase the proportion of children whose family read to them at least 4 days per week — EMC‑02 Data

National Status: Little or no detectable change

Download EMC-02 data

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week , 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Sex, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Race/Ethnicity, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Age group, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Educational attainment (of most highly educated adult, 25 years and over), 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Family income (percent poverty threshold), 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Health insurance status, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Geographic location, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Marital status (of parents, 18 years and over), 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Country of birth (of parents), 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Veteran status (of parents, 20 years and over), 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Disability status, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired

Children whose family reads to them at least 4 days per week by Special health care needs, 2016-17 to 2022-23 ◊(percent)Increase desired