What is Reach Out and Read?
Reach Out and Read is a national pediatric early literacy program. Reach Out and Read prepares America's youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. Reach Out and Read trains doctors and nurses to advise parents about the importance of reading aloud and to give new books to children at pediatric well visits (check-ups) from 6 months through 5 years of age, with a special focus on children growing up in poverty. By building on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers, Reach Out and Read helps families and communities encourage early literacy skills so children enter school prepared for success in reading.
The Reach Out and Read Model
- In the exam room at a Reach Out and Read practice, the pediatrician or nurse practitioner encourages parents to read aloud to their young children and offers age-appropriate tips.
- At well-child visits (checkups), the pediatrician or nurse practitioner gives every child 6 months through 5 years of age a new, developmentally/culturally appropriate children’s book to take home and keep.
- In the waiting room, displays, information and gently-used books create a literacy rich environment. Where possible, volunteer readers engage the children with books, modeling for the parents the pleasures and techniques of reading aloud.
Reach Out and Read at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Reach Out and Read Program occurs at these Pediatric & Adolescent Care practices: University City, South Philadelphia, Cobbs Creek, Market Street, Salem Road, NJ, as well as the Family Care Center in Philadelphia.
Every year, the pediatricians, residents and nurse practitioners at Childrens Hospital's Reach Out and Read practices reach nearly 21,000 children, ages 6 months through 5 years, and their families.
The Importance of Books and Reading Aloud
The 1985 National Commission on Reading reported that the single most important predictor of a child's later reading success is being read to early in life. Reading aloud to babies and young children enhances language and cognitive development and helps them learn.
How to Help
Reach Out and Read at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia relies solely on donations and support from schools, community groups, foundations, corporations and individuals to maintain this valuable program.
Here’s how you can help support Reach Out and Read at Children’s Hospital:
Contribute to the Reach Out and Read Endowment
Through the generosity of a family whose commitment to this Reach Out and Read Program spans five years, we have been able to establish a permanent endowment for the Reach Out and Read Program at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Fostering literacy and a love of reading opens countless avenues for success and lifelong joys for children. One of the most meaningful, and lasting, ways to support Reach Out and Read is by giving to the program's endowment.
An endowment is a permanent investment that grows over time while providing steady annual funding to continue and expand initiatives. Program growth is sustained by using a portion of the fund's net value each year, while leaving the fund's balance intact. Just as reading is a gift that keeps on giving, donations to the endowment provide perpetual support for Reach Out and Read's efforts to improve the way children live and grow. For more information, please call the Development Department at 267-426-6500 or visit the Foundation's website.
Fundraisers
Have a fundraiser to collect money so the Reach Out and Read coordinator can purchase wonderful new books for children ages 6 months through 5 years at a 60 percent discount. It costs about $40 to provide new books for a child in this program, through each of the child’s ten well visits from 6 months through 5 years of age. Donors in the past have had success encouraging families, community groups or individuals to sponsor a child by donating Reach Out and Read costs for a child. Please call the program coordinator at 215-590-5989 for more information.
If you plan to have an event to raise money for Children’s Hospital’s Reach Out and Read Program, please call 267-426-6500 and ask the Development Department to mail an application to you.
Book Drives
This is a great way for individuals, groups and children to involve themselves in helping others, and book drives are fun to do. Collecting appropriate new and gently-used books for Reach Out and Read programs allows health care staff to place books directly in hands of many children at the doctor’s offices. Donations of appropriate gently-used books for children ages birth to around 10 years are accepted, however, books need to be in good condition (covers and pages intact, clean, and readable). Please call the program coordinator at 215-590-5989 for donation and delivery guidelines and recommended titles.
Reach Out and Read Volunteers
Volunteers are based in the doctor’s office waiting room and read aloud to children of all ages. Reach Out and Read volunteers show parents the techniques and pleasures of looking at books together. Please call The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Volunteer Services Department at 215-590-1093 to request a volunteer application.
For more information, please see How to Support Reach Out and Read and Reach Out and Read Volunteer Opportunities.
These ideas have been successful in the past to support Children’s Hospital’s Reach Out and Read Program, however we welcome your ideas and suggestions, too. If you are interested in sponsoring a fundraiser or book drive or have comments or questions, please contact the program coordinator at 215-590-5989 for additional information. Thank you for your interest and support!
Contact Us
- 215-590-1000
- Contact Us Online
- Request an Appointment