Reach Out and Read
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.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Reach Out and Read Program started in 1996 and takes place at six of CHOP’s Primary Care practices located in West and South Philadelphia and Burlington, New Jersey.
The impact
The Reach Out and Read program begins at the child’s 6-month checkup, and continues through age 5, with special emphasis on children growing up in low-income communities. Families served by the program read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills, better prepared to achieve to their potential.
This year, the pediatricians, residents and nurse practitioners at CHOP's six Reach Out and Read Sites will give at least 29,000 brand-new, age-appropriate books to children ages 6 months through 5 years at well visits, and advise parents about the importance of reading aloud. Will you help support this important program?
The need
-
“Investment in early education for disadvantaged children from birth to age 5 helps reduce the achievement gap, reduce the need for special education, increase the likelihood of healthier lifestyles, lower the crime rate, and reduce overall social costs. In fact, every dollar invested in high-quality early childhood education produces a 7 to 10 percent per annum return on investment.”
SOURCE: Heckman, J. The Economics of Inequality, The Value of Early Childhood Education, American Educator. (Spring 2011) -
Reach Out and Read is focused on serving children growing up in low-income communities. “Growing up in poverty is one of the greatest threats to healthy child development. Poverty and financial stress can impede children’s cognitive development and their ability to learn.”
SOURCE: Annie E. Casey 2012 KidsCount Data Book: State Trends in Child Well-Being -
“A major contribution of family literacy to young children’s future success is the act of talking with infants and toddlers….the richness of interaction in the home has a strong influence on early language development and acquisition of literacy that lasts throughout the school years.”
SOURCE: Rosenkoetter, S. Knapp-Philo, J. Learning to Read the World, Language and Literacy in the First Three Years, (2006), Zero to Three
Contact Us
- 215-590-5989
- Contact Us Online