Research > Environmental Scan > Programs > Reach Out and Read Colorado
About
http://www.reachoutandreadco.org/index.html
Location: Denver, Colorado
Contact: Megan Wilson, Executive Director
megan@reachoutandreadco.org
From Reach Out and Read Colorado's homepage
Our Mission: "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 books to children at pediatric checkups from 6 months to 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."

Reach Out and Read Colorado is part of the national Reach Out and Read® program and is the statewide Coalition of Colorado’s Reach Out and Read Sites.

Nationally: From About Reach Out and Read
"Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud.

Reach Out and Read builds on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop critical early reading skills in children, beginning at 6 months of age. Reach Out and Read serves more than 4 million children and their families annually. Reach Out and Read families read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed, with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills.

During the preschool years, children served by Reach Out and Read score three to six months ahead of their non-Reach Out and Read peers on vocabulary tests. These early foundational language skills help start children on a path of success when they enter school."
How It Works
The Reach Out and Read Model in Action
  • Doctors, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals incorporate Reach Out and Read’s evidence-based model into regular pediatric checkups, by advising parents about the importance of reading aloud and giving developmentally-appropriate books to children.
  • The program begins at the 6-month checkup and continues through age 5, with a special emphasis on children growing up in low-income communities -- about 8x to 10x in 4-1/2 years
  • Families served by Reach Out and Read read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills, and a six-month developmental edge.
  • Literacy-rich waiting rooms
  • New, quality, age and language appropriate books given to children age 6 months- 5 years as part of well-child exam
  • Primary care provider gives the book and provides parental anticipatory guidance

The heart of the Reach Out and Read model is the primary care relationship
The training provides each pediatric healthcare provider with the following:     
  • Awareness of the importance of reading aloud and print-rich environments to the development of early literacy skills.   
  • A review of evidence-based strategies to enhance development of language and other skills that promote reading success.    
  • Appreciation of the provider's own ability to influence parents' attitudes and behaviors around reading aloud.    
  • Ability to evaluate and assess a child's developmental progress based on the child's interactions with a book.    
  • Understanding of how early literacy can be combined with other anticipatory guidance, including opportunities to combine literacy guidance with conversations about development and language, stimulation and interaction, and using books to build daily routines and bedtime rituals.
Celebrating 15 years in Colorado in 2012!
Impact in Colorado
  • 84,000 children
  • 48 of 64 counties
  • Over 1,000 providers
  • 145,000 books and parent messages
Impact Nationwide
  • 3.9 million children
  • All 50 states
  • Over 5,000 providers
  • 6.5 million books and parent messages
Target Audience: Low-income families with young children
Colorado's Reach Out and Read Clinics by County: Map and List by County
  • Currently 197 Reach Out and Read Colorado Clinics in Colorado
  • Located in 48 of Colorado’s 64 counties
  • See online list of participating clinics in Colorado
Sustained effort over time
The program begins at the 6-month checkup and continues through age 5, with a special emphasis on children growing up in low-income communities.
Active involvement of participants
From Reach Out and Read: The Evidence
"In a multicenter study, families exposed to Reach Out and Read were more likely to report reading aloud at bedtime, to read aloud three or more days per week, mention reading aloud as a favorite parenting activity, and own 10 or more children’s books." (Needleman et al, 2005)

"In a study using direct observation of children’s homes, parents were more likely to read aloud to their
children and enjoy reading together when their families had more encounters with the Reach Out and
Read program." (Weitzman et al, 2004)

"English and non-English speaking families who participated in the Reach Out and Read model
increased their weekly bedtime reading, and more parents reported reading as their own or their child’s
favorite activity. For non-English speaking families the number of children’s books in the home also
increased as a result of the Reach Out and Read model." (Silverstein et al, 2002)
Partnerships with other organizations
Reach Out and Read Colorado has partnered with 197 clinics in Colorado

Library Partnerships
  • Co-branded library brochures in clinics
  • Libraries supply literacy rich waiting rooms with excess books - families are free to take those books as well
  • Weekly story-times in clinic waiting rooms

One Book 4 Colorado Partnership
Assessments: Over 15 studies show efficacy of Reach Out and Read
During the preschool years, children served by Reach Out and Read score three to six months ahead of their non-Reach Out and Read peers on vocabulary tests. -- Reach Out and Read
Survey Report on ROR Colorado: Participant Perspectives on Reach Out and Read Colorado
In the fall of 2010, Reach Out and Read Colorado teamed up with Augenblich, Palaich and Associates, Inc. to survey the parents and healthcare providers participating in our program. Read a summary of the results in Participant Perspectives on Reach Out and Read Colorado. For the full report, please contact Meredith Hintze at meredith@reachoutandreadco.org.

Main Findings on Research: From National Reach Out and Read: The Evidence
"This study showed that a sample of Latino children who participated in Reach Out and Read from six months
of age had average or above average literacy skills by the end of kindergarten, as well as high-quality home
literacy environments." (Diener et al, 2012)

"Research shows that when pediatricians promote early literacy according to the Reach Out and Read model, there is a significant effect on parental behavior, beliefs, and attitudes towards reading aloud, as well as improvements in the language scores of at-risk young children who participate. These effects have been found in ethnically diverse low-income families, in all areas of the country, regardless of parental literacy.

The body of published research supporting the efficacy of the Reach Out and Read model is more extensive than for any other psychosocial intervention in general pediatrics."
Individual attention
Parents received individual counseling from their child's medical provider regarding the benefits of reading to their child.

From Participant Perspectives on Reach Out and Read Colorado
2. Experience of families during their pediatric checkups (referred to as Well Child visits)
"Nearly two‐thirds of families receive their Reach Out and Read book directly from the doctor and another 23 percent of families receive the book before the doctor enters the exam room for the checkup. This allows the doctor to address literacy in conjunction with the book during the course of the visit. Seventy‐four percent of providers spend at least a minute discussing reading, and over a quarter of providers spend three minutes or more. All families are primarily told about the importance of reading while additional messages‐ school readiness, reading duration and incorporation into routine, age appropriateness, and other benefits of reading‐ varied by the child’s age and the language spoken at home."
Cultural Proficiency
Survey Report on ROR Colorado: Participant Perspectives on Reach Out and Read Colorado
It was found that the experience of Spanish speaking families tended to vary from their English speaking counterparts in many of the areas explored. The following key differences were observed:
  • Children in Spanish speaking families were less likely to be read to on a daily basis and less likely to be read to by a parent often.
  • Spanish speakers reported more tangible obstacles to reading than English speakers.
  • Spanish speaking parents reported receiving a less nuanced message about reading than English speaking parents and often requested more information in these missing areas.
  • The quality of Reach Out and Read books is better on average than the books that Spanish speaking families have access to otherwise.
  • Spanish speaking families are more likely to report that their child looks forward to receiving a book and that they are more likely to go to their next Well Child check up because their child will receive a book.
Works through existing infrastructures: Pediatric wellness checkups through medical providers
Reach Out and Read uses the existing framework of annual visits to the pediatrician to get their early literacy message to low-income parents and to get books in the hands of children.

From Reach Out and Read: The Evidence
"Parents participating in Reach Out and Read were more likely to rate their child’s pediatrician as
helpful than those not participating in Reach Out and Read. Pediatricians in the Reach Out and Read
group were more likely to rate parents as receptive than those in the non-Reach Out and Read group.
Mothers in the Reach Out and Read group were two times more likely to report enjoyment in reading
together with their child than those in the non-Reach Out and Read group." (Jones et al, 2000)
Fun or gaming element
From Survey Report on ROR Colorado: Participant Perspectives on Reach Out and Read Colorado
"The vast majority of families (96 percent) reported that their toddler or child was happy to receive a book, that their toddler or child wanted to look at the book during the visit (86 percent), and that their child three years or older looks forward to getting a book (85 percent)."