Reach Out And Read

A Pediatric Early Literacy Program

"I know that by keeping her nose in the books, she is going to be a reader.  If she's reading, she could be a writer.   She could be a doctor.  She could be anything."
-A Reach Out and Read Parent, 1997

The Reach Out and Read Program	How Reach Out and Read Reached Gallup, NM
How Reach Out and Read Works	Funding for Reach Out and Read
The Importance of Reading Aloud	Photographs

The Reach Out and Read Program
A group of pediatricians and educators developed Reach Out and Read (ROR) in 1989 at Boston City Hospital.  The goal of the program is to encourage literacy development in young patients.  ROR accomplishes this goal by reaching children at an early age and providing parents with the information, support, and materials they need to make books a part of their children's daily lives.

ROR seeks to change the culture of pediatrics by making literacy development a standard part of every child's pediatric care.  The program utilizes the Power of the established relationship between parents and medical providers to help children develop a love of books and reading.

It is a program that has been proven effective.  The pilot study for the Reach Out and Read program found that parents who received a book and encouragement to read aloud to their children during a clinic visit were four times more likely to look at books with their children than parents who did not.

How Reach Out and Read Reached Gallup
A 1994 grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation enabled ROR to replicate programs throughout the country.  With generous support from PNM Foundation, NationsBank, the Western Health Foundation and Americans for Native Americans, Reach Out and Read was started in Gallup in April of 1998.

The National Reach Out and Read Center in Boston, Massachusetts continues to provide seed money, training and technical assistance for all ROR sites.   This connection to a well-established organization means the program in Gallup is constantly updated and kept current with a national standard.

How Reach Out and Read Works
According to a 1996 survey by the Commonwealth Fund, only 39% of parents with children under three read to them daily.  A major goal of ROR is to bring reading into the homes as early as possible in a child's development.   To this end:

• In the clinic waiting room, volunteers from the community read stories and look at books with children, modeling reading-aloud techniques for parents.  The volunteers demonstrate that reading aloud is a source of entertainment, pleasure and knowledge.
• In the examining room, the health care provider discusses the importance of reading aloud at home, comments on the child's abilities and counsels the parents on how to use books to support their child's healthy development.  The provider may write out a play "prescription" to read daily together.
• At each well-child exam, the child is invited to take home a brand new, developmentally and culturally appropriate book.  The health care dedicates the book to the child and makes suggestions on how the parent and child can enjoy it together.   By the time they begin school, children will acquire a home library of at least ten beautiful children's books.

Funding for Reach Out and Read in Gallup
Originally started with a volunteer coordinator, the position is now a 20 hour per week paid position, funded by the Western Health Foundation.  Americans for Native Americans continues to assist the program in providing funds for book purchases to ensure that every child receives an age appropriate addition to their libraries.  This is significant because McKinley County, New Mexico has the lowest reading scores in the United States, and this ultimately can make a significant impact in the educational level of Native Americans.  According to Kent Hodges, ANA Field Director in Gallup, "Most homes on the reservation do not have a single book. To give a child a new book causes the greatest excitement. You know it becomes a prized possession."

Approximately $20,000 worth of books are distributed in the ROR program in Gallup and the surrounding area each year.  In 2001, ANA funded 100% of the cost.  For the 2002 year ANA will need to fund only three-fourths of that sum thanks to some enterprising young people at Simmons Elementary School in Horsham, Pennsylvania.  They sponsored a WALK and raised over $5000 to go toward books, tee shirts and art supplies.

The Importance of Reading Aloud
A 1993 department of education study estimated that over 40 million Americans are functionally illiterate.  In children, illiteracy is often associated with school failure, delinquency, substance abuse at a young age and teenage pregnancy.

Research studies indicate that children who live in environments rich in print and spoken language, and have early exposure to children's books though reading aloud, are more likely to become successful readers.

The 1985 Report on the Commission of Reading reported that reading aloud is the single most important predictor of later reading success.

Beginning to read aloud early in development means that children enter school already feeling comfortable and confident with books and reading.  Confidence in school means not only academic success, but success in all areas of life.

Reading aloud supports children's language and cognitive development and strengthens the parent-child bond.  Children grow to regard reading as an enjoyable activity, associating books with parental love and attention.

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Date this page was last edited: 08/20/2009