Reach Out and Read

Understanding that the time to start reading to children is in infancy, pediatricians and healthcare providers incorporate books and reading into well baby checkups for children from birth to five years old. During the check up, health-care providers give parents concrete, developmentally appropriate advice about reading, as well as use books as an assessment tool in determining the child's development. At the end of each visit, the child is given an age and language appropriate book. Trained volunteers also share books and stories with children while they wait for their appointments, showing, by example, successful techniques for reading aloud.

The Reach Out and Read program model is based on research that shows a connection between the frequency of sharing books with babies, toddlers and young children and enhanced language development. Research also shows that preschoolers need 1000 hours of contact time with literacy activities to be ready for kindergarten. By distributing books through local pediatric offices, Reach Out and Read reaches children (and their parents) earlier than most other reading programs, with dramatic results.

This popular program is growing. Since its inception, the program has grown from 2 points of distribution and 2,671 books in 2000 to eight points of distribution and 10,448 books in 2006. To volunteer to read to children in local medical clinics, call Solano County Literacy Services at (707) 432-1995 or 1-800-450-7885. The volunteer training schedule is on line at: www.solanolibrary.com/programs/program.cfm?id=1520