Reach Out and Read Tidbits
 | | Click here for the evidence supporting early brain development and reading aloud. |
| Reach Out and Read CEO, Earl Martin Phalen, is featured on NBC Nightly News.
Earl also speaks to MSNBC's News Nation.
2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book The Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book has been released. Connecticut ranked 6 overall! Click here to see the summary of CT's data. To see the full report, please click here. |
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Connecticut Statistics!
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42 clinical locations
41,309 children served
59,414 new books distributed annually
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Reach Out and Read New England
Connecticut Newsletter Fall 2011
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Our newsletter has information for providers, coordinators, volunteers, and partners ... so be sure to forward it to your pediatric and family practice staff as well as to friends, volunteers and supporters. Send us email addresses and we'll make sure they automatically receive our quarterly newsletter!
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Dear Reach Out and Read Colleagues,
I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying the fall weather with the winds and rain of Irene nothing but a distant memory. Many of us in Connecticut were adversely affected by Irene's wrath and spent many days "in the dark." Here in Madison, I spent my week without power and running water, forced to get back to basics and live simply. For seven days, it was all about food, water and shelter. Yet, refocusing and getting back to basics often brings clarity in such situations.
During my week in the dark, I had time to reflect on the fundamentals of Reach Out and Read. The Reach Out and Read model is a simple one, preparing children for kindergarten and working to change parental behaviors ---basically books and advice. This fall, please take a moment to ask yourself some basic questions: Are the correct people in the roles of Reach Out and Read On-Site Coordinator and On-Site Medical Director? Are new books being handed out to all children six months through five years of age at the beginning of every well child visit? And is pertinent literacy advice about the importance of reading aloud and literacy development being discussed with the parent or guardian at each of these visits as well? If your program is not providing these basics to the children and families you serve, why not? What are the barriers?
Our evidence tells us that our simple model works. If parents are given the tools (the book) and appropriate encouragement and advice at each of the 10 standard health supervision visits before kindergarten, those participating children will gain good exposure to books and become better prepared for kindergarten. They will enter school on "Day 1" ready to succeed, with larger vocabularies, higher receptive and expressive vocabulary scores, and a love of books. Such children gain the foundational literacy skills needed to become successful readers, which in turn leads to success in school and in life.
Thanks for getting back to basics!
Chris
Christine Garber, MBA
Connecticut Programs Director
Reach Out and Read New England
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What A Difference a Mom Can Make........
Jean Ciborowski Fahey, PhD
Early Literacy Research Specialist
Reach Out and Read National Center
A 2011 study of 1,850 low-income families with infants, toddlers and preschoolers shows the impact a mother or otherwise primary caregiver can have on school readiness. The research shows, among other things, that the degree to which parents not only read, but also converse with their child about the story can have long-lasting effects on language and early literacy skills years later. 1
Other research shows that when mothers, despite income or educational level, had knowledge of child development and rated their infants as responsive, this also created more language-rich environments.2
Using children's books to generate conversations (dialogic reading) is an effective method for parents to build their young children's foundation for learning-to-read. 3, 4. Dialogic reading encourages children to become the story teller. Over time, the adults become the listener, asking clarifying questions to encourage the child to generate new ideas related to the story.
Interestingly, a 2011 Utah State University study compared early literacy and language skills in older toddlers whose mothers used traditional children's books and books without words. Researchers found "more complex language and interactions were present between mother and child using the wordless book." 5 The reason for this finding may be that when parents are encouraged to 'create in the moment,' much like play, they elicit more responsive and productive language interactions with their child.
Together with mother's knowledge of child development and an increasingly responsive child, the difference a Mom can make in building the foundation for learning to read is remarkable indeed. So, remember to help your parents understand the real difference they can make:
Beginning in infancy: Acquaint mothers and caregivers with child development stages and recommend reading, back and forth conversations, and singing to baby - every day - with the goal of increasing mother-baby closeness and responsiveness in the infant.
Toddlerhood: Reinforce child development stages and recommend back and forth conversations, singing, reading books, and talking about the story - every day - to increase closeness, responsiveness and vocabulary.
Older Toddlerhood and Preschool: Reinforce child development stages and recommend back and forth conversations, singing, and reading books with and without words - every day - to increase closeness, responsiveness, and vocabulary.
References
1.Rodriguez, E.T., et al (2011). "Trajectories of the Home Learning Environment Across the First st Five Years: associations with children's vocabulary and literacy skills at prekindergarten." Child Development, 10.
2. Vernon-Feagans, L., et al (2008). "Predictors of maternal language to infants during a picture book task in the home: Family SES, child characteristics and the parenting environment. The Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29(3), 213-226.
3. Chrisler, A. & Ling, T. (2011). "What Works for Early Language and Literacy Development; lessons from experimental evaluations of programs and intervention strategies." (see: www.childtrends.org).
4. Huebner, C.E., et al., (2005). "Intervention to change parent-child reading styles: a comparison of instructional methods. The Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 26, 296-313. (see: www.sciencedirect.com).
5. . Gillman, S. et al (2011). "Maternal Input During Book Sharing: wordless vs. printed books." Presentation at the Annual Convention of the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association in Philadelphia.
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Funding Your Annual Book Budget
"It often feels as if there are so many children, yet so few books! If I am to focus on the basics, how does our Program obtain all the money (or new books) we need?
This question is one that must be answered on a site-by-site basis. Some Reach Out and Read Programs are a yearly line-item in their pediatric or family practice budget; others are supported by the philanthropic arm of their affiliated-hospital; and a lucky few even have private donors standing at the ready. Most sites, though, must work a little harder and reach out to their community.
If you do look beyond your front doors, you may be surprised to find there are resources available to help you replenish your book supply. Check out some of these suggestions (you may want to print/save them to reference later):
First Book
www.firstbook.org
First Book provides new books and educational resources at deep discount - and sometimes, for free - primarily to schools and programs serving children in need. It's worth a few minutes of research on their website. Some of our Connecticut Programs have been successful in securing new book donations through First Book.
Barnes & Noble
www.barnesandnoble.com
Contact your local Barnes & Noble store to become a charity "gift wrapper" during the upcoming holiday season. The week before Christmas is prime time. As you wrap, you can receive donations for your Reach Out and Read Program for your gift wrapping services. This is fun, simple, and gets the word out. Contact your local store now as those prime-time gift wrapping hours book up quickly!
Target Grant/Local Grants
As you know, we make templates for Target grants available to all our Programs. Congratulations to the Hospital of St. Raphael's for submitting a successful application and receiving a $2,000 grant for their Program!
Applying for local, community grants is a great way to fund your Reach Out and Read Program. Log on to www.myROR.org to find grant writing resources in the "Document Library" and under the "Fundraising" tab. Take the time to personalize the template with your site specific statistics and initiatives, and if you need guidance, please don't hesitate to email Christine Garber.
Book Clubs, Bake Sales
Spread the word among your staff who are members of Book Clubs. It's amazing how individual donations can add up - especially during the holidays! Pass the hat for donations to your Program. And many Programs bake items to sell for their Programs around the holidays. Remember, every $200 helps!
Community Service Organizations
Community engagement is key to a strong and successful Reach Out and Read Program. Foster relationships with local organizations such as Rotary Clubs and Kiwanis Groups. Speaking to them can take as little as 15-30 minutes, and they are extremely welcoming, members come from all walks of life, and they tend to know other helpful people in the community and throughout the state.
Consider further outreach to the Girl & Boy Scouts , churches and confirmation classes, synagogues and bar and bat mitzvah students, nursery schools, PTA/PTOs, high schools (many have community service requirements for their students), school readiness councils, literacy volunteers, and the like.
Read to Grow
www.readtogrow.org/ProgramAppBooksForm
Read to Grow provides free, gently-used books to Connecticut families and programs that serve children. By simply completing the "Program Application for Books" form on their website, you may qualify for free, gently used children's books for your site which can be used in your literacy-rich waiting area, given out at sick visits, or to siblings tagging along to well-child visits.
Libraries
Your local library may be a source of gently-used book donations. Most libraries hold annual used book sales, and those books that don't sell can be collected by your Program if they know to save them! Contact your local library and offer to pick up any unsold children's books to be used in your waiting room. Additionally, you may refer to the Reach Out and Read and Libraries Best Practices one pager for many ideas to how to engage your local library in support of your Reach Out and Read Program.
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NBC Connecticut Interviews Reach Out and Read!
Dr. Cathy Wiley, Reach Out and Read's Connecticut Medical Director, and Christine Garber, Reach Out and Read's Connecticut Program Director, were interviewed live on NBC Connecticut's 11:00 AM news program. The August 17th segment, which can be viewed in its entirety at http://myror.org/nbc.aspx (login required), provided viewers with an overview of the Reach Out and Read model, educated viewers on our state-wide impact and also provided ideas for how best to become involved. Thank you NBC Connecticut for this wonderful visibility!
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Representative Jim Himes Visits Stamford Community Health Center
On Friday, August 12, U.S. Representative Jim Himes visited Stamford Community Health Center in support of Reach Out and Read. The Congressman read to over a dozen youngsters who made for a fantastic audience! As he read "Book, Book, Book," "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed," and "How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Room?" many of the children helped Rep. Himes identify dinosaurs and delightedly yelled "no more monkeys jumping on the bed!" at the right time. Fun was had by all. Afterwards, Dr. Madhu Mathur led Rep. Himes on a tour of the Stamford Community Health Center to learn more about it and Reach Out and Read.
The event was a huge success due to the wonderful collaboration between the Health Center, the Literacy Volunteers of Stamford/Greenwich Inc. and the Stamford School Readiness Council who all helped to coordinate the event. Community support, as exemplified in Stamford, is an ideal model for a successful Reach Out and Read program. Thank you Representative Jim Himes, and the entire Stamford community, which continually supports Reach Out and Read.
For additional footage on the legislative visit, as well as Dr. Mathur's recent interview with AAP, please visit these sites:
It's Relevant
AAP Interview - Dr. Mathur
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Stone Soup Literacy Conference Invitation
Reach Out and Read was invited to present on "Engaging the Health Care Sector in Early Literacy" at the Graustein Memorial Fund's annual Stone Soup literacy conference to be held in Cromwell on Tuesday, October 25. The Graustein Memorial Fund is a statewide family foundation focused on supporting young children, from birth through age eight. This year's conference theme is "Early Learning - What it Takes."
Dr. Dipesh Navsaria, Reach Out and Read's Wisconsin Medical Director, will present on behalf of Reach Out and Read, in partnership with Read to Grow. The keynote speaker is Byron Pitts; Contributing Correspondent for 60 Minutes and CBS News Chief National Correspondent, and Ralph Smith, from Annie E. Casey's Grade Level Reading Campaign will also be a featured speaker. Reach Out and Read is honored to be included on this stellar roster and to be part of this magnificent literacy conference. To register for the conference, please click here.
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And the winner is.........
Over the summer, Reach Out and Read's initiative to ensure Program medical providers completed our new, on-line, CME course has met with good success. The lucky raffle winner is
Pediatrics Associates of Farmington! $100 will be placed into their Program's Scholastic pre-paid account to be used for purchasing new books. Congratulations!
Thank you very much to all who completed the training by August 31st. (And to all of the site coordinators who hounded them!) Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
For those providers unable to complete the CME course by the deadline, please do so as immediately as possible. Although the deadline has passed, continuing education remains an important priority and will continue to be so until all providers are up-to-date. Funding hinges on fidelity to the Reach Out and Read model.
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Reach Out and Read Partners With Barnes & Noble!
The Stamford, Canton and Manchester Barnes & Noble Booksellers have selected Reach Out and Read as their holiday book drive partner. The book drive runs from November 1 through December 31. The donated books will be new, not used, and will go to needy area Programs.
Additionally, the Stamford Barnes & Noble will be kicking off our book drive with a book fair on Thursday, November 10, in-store and on-line. Keep an eye out in your inbox for additional details on that exciting event where we will partner with the Literacy Volunteers of Stamford/Greenwich Inc. and other local Stamford supporters.
Thank you Barnes & Noble!
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The Wiggles! Big Birthday Tour!
Thanks to our many Wiggles fan, the Wiggles Big Birthday Bash summer tour raised $750 for our Connecticut Reach Out and Read Programs, to be used towards purchasing books for Connecticut's upcoming sustainability book shipments. Thank you for your support of this event and for getting the word out.
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