Reach Out and Read Program

Reach Out and Read makes literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric primary care, so that children grow up with books and a love of reading. Reach Out and Read trains doctors and nurses to advise parents about the importance of reading aloud and the program provides books to children at pediatric check-ups from six months to five years of age. Through 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.

Reach Out and Read in Action

In the exam room, doctors and nurse practitioners trained to develop strategies of early literacy, encourage parents to read aloud to their young children, and offer age-appropriate tips. Every child between the ages of 6 months and five years receives a new, developmentally appropriate children's book to take home and keep. Volunteers in clinic waiting rooms read aloud to children, showing parents and children the techniques and pleasures of looking at books together.

Making a Difference

Nationwide more than 1.5 million children participate in Reach Out and Read annually and over 3 million books are given to families.

In Rochester, local pediatricians have teamed together to form the Reach Out and Read Coalition of Greater Rochester in order to coordinate fundraising efforts and distribution of books donated by local charities.