Reach Out and Read

It takes more than medicine to have a healthy child

....

Mission
Reach Out and Read prepares central Ohios youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together.

Reach Out and Read Model

Pediatric healthcare providers are trained in the three part Reach Out and Read model to promote early literacy and school readiness:
1. In the exam room, doctors and nurses speak with parents about the importance of reading aloud to their young children every day, and offer age-appropriate tips and encouragement.
2. The pediatric primary care provider prescribes every child 6 months through 5 years old a new, developmentally-appropriate children's book to take home and keep. 3. In the waiting room, volunteers engage children in literacy and music related activities.

The Challenge
A typical middle-class 5 year old is able to identify 22 letters and sounds of the alphabet compared to just 9 letters for a child from a low-income family (Ehri-Roberts, 2006). Children who cannot read at a 3rd grade level by age 8 are exponentially more likely to enter the prison system. A number of states use the number of children not reading at grade level by the 3rd grade to forecast prison space needs (Ohio Governors Forum, 2008). 46% of central Ohio children entering kindergarten lack the basic language skills they will need to learn to read.

2011 Program Statistics

New Books Prescribed Highlight Magazines Gently-Used Books Volunteer Readers
(2010 stats)

56,681 56,098 97,700 158 @ 3,580 hours 59 @ 1,223 hours 206 @ 592 hours

Music Volunteers Community Volunteers

(2010 stats)

The Impact
Since inception in 1989, more than 1,000,000 books have been distributed through our Reach Out and Read Program. Children served by Reach Out and Read score significantly higher on vocabulary tests. This increase represents a sixmonth developmental gain for children in the preschool years. No other early intervention has this type of evidence base or impact. Fourteen published studies confirm the ROR model works. Reach Out and Read is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.

Community Book Drive

Locals get involved by: Gently-used book drive Fundraising for the purchase of new books Participation in our celebration event

Gently-Used Books
Gently used book donation guidelines: Up to a 4th grade reading level No romance novels No books expressing religious or political views No torn pages or cover No books published prior to 2000

New Books
In 2011, our pediatricians prescribed over 55,000 new books. Pediatricians have the unique opportunity to empower parents and screen early for delays.

Fundraising
www.nationwidechildrens.org/reach-out-and-read-giving Heres how your support can help: $2,500 helps us provide the full, five-year program to 85 children $1,500 helps provide the Reach Out and Read program to 50 children $300 helps provide the Reach Out and Read program to 10 children $30 enables us to provide the full, five-year program to one child

Contact Information
Claudia Barrett: 355-0518 Claudia.Barrett@NationwideChildrens.org Suzette Rathke: 355-0520 Suzette.Rathke@NationwideChildrens.org Shareena Casey: 355-0519 Shareena.Casey@NationwideChildrens.org