A campaign is encouraging parents to talk to their babies.

The "Reach Out and Read" initiative has been part of the Union Community Health Center on the Grand Concourse for more than 10 years.

Sequoyah Waits has been reading and talking to her 10-month-old daughter Madison since birth. She says that not only does it help build her daughter's vocabulary, but it also encourages mother-daughter bonding.

A book is given out at every wellness visit to families with infants as young as 6 months old. Experts say that from the first three months of life, millions of brain cells are being developed. They say reading and talking to infants has lasting effects, and gives them a head start when they begin school.

Word simulation is important during a child's early years, especially in low-income neighborhoods where experts say that form of verbal bonding is not as prevalent compared to more affluent neighborhoods.