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Follow us on Twitter.
Find us on Facebook.
Click here to view the Reach Out and Read Massachusetts Facebook Page
Click here to make a tax-deductible contribution to Reach Out and Read.
Click here to check out this great video about reading aloud with your children from our partners in literacy Raising a Reader! It is available in 12 languages!
Eye on Early Education has developed a new blog focusing on Building Awareness of Brain Building. Click here to read more.
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How do I obtain books/funding for my Reach Out and Read Program?
It often feels as if there are so many children, yet so few books! However, if you look beyond your doors, out into your community, you may be surprised to find many resources to replenish your book supply.
First Book: http://www.firstbook.org/
First Book provides new books and educational resources at deeply reduced prices - and sometimes free - to schools and programs serving children in need.
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Contact your local Barnes & Noble store to be a charity gift-wrapper during the upcoming holiday season. The weeks before Christmas are the most coveted dates to spend a few hours gift-wrapping at your local Barnes & Noble store. As you wrap, you are allowed to receive donations for Reach Out and Read for your gift-wrapping services.
Libraries:
Your local library may be a plentiful source of gently used book donations for you. Libraries often hold annual used book sales. Books that don't sell are often donated.
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!
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Reach Out and Read New England
Massachusetts Newsletter
Fall 2011 
Serving 191,548 MA children in 218 Programs |
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Dear Reach Out and Read Colleagues,
I hope that all of you had a refreshing summer, with at least a few vacation days squeezed in among the back-to-school physicals, and that you are now enjoying these last few warm days as fall begins.
One of the highlights of my summer was a trip to Western Massachusetts to see some wonderful theatre (from Romeo and Juliet to Guys and Dolls!) and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. A trip to Western Massachusetts is a rare treat for me, but for Laurie Flynn, our new Western MA Regional Coordinator, these will soon be well-traveled roads. Those of you who have met her will know what a terrific addition Laurie is to our team; for those who haven't, I'll let Laurie introduce herself in her own words below.
The leaves will be off the trees, but hopefully the snow won't yet be flying on November 30th, when we again join forces with DEEC to host a second Journey to Literacy Begins at Birth conference, this one in the Lawrence area, focusing on children growing up as dual language learners. It is scheduled from 9-3 at the Northern Essex Community College campus in Haverhill. Click here for more information and to register; the fee is $25, which includes lunch.
I hope to see many of you at the conference, and look forward to seeing others throughout the fall. Working with the Reach Out and Read Coordinators, Providers and Staff throughout the state is the best part of my job; Heather, Laurie, Nora and I applaud the energy, dedication and care you bring to Reach Out and Read every day.
Warm Regards,
Alison
Alison Corning Clarke, MA, MSW
Massachusetts Programs Director |
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Welcome Laurie Flynn,
Western Massachusetts Regional Coordinator!
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Having graduated from Simmons College with a Masters of Fine Arts in Children's Literature in May, I couldn't have been more delighted to learn that Reach Out and Read was searching for a new coordinator for the Western Massachusetts region. Could there really be a job out there that not only nurtured my love of children's books but also allowed me the opportunity to spread the word about the important connection between reading aloud to children and creating a generation of lifetime readers? Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity.
Since July, I have been traveling from site to site in Western Massachusetts, meeting all of the wonderful practices and providers who deliver Reach Out and Read's important message directly to the children and families they serve. I am constantly impressed by their dedication and enthusiasm, especially given the day-to-day demands of practicing medicine in today's world. And it's been equally rewarding working with the Reach Out and Read's Massachusetts coalition. It sure is nice to wake up and look forward to going to work every day and to go to bed each night feeling good about what I do!
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Eagle Scouts Alex LeGendre and Brendan Chin Create Book Nook at Roxbury Comprehensive CHC
The book nook in the pediatrics waiting room at RoxComp was upgraded thanks to the efforts of two Eagle Scouts, Alex LeGendre and Brendan Quinn, who jointly collected over 4500 books, as well as furniture and toys, to create a welcoming space for children to read while waiting for their appointments.
The importance of their efforts was immediately obvious to Alex, who recalled how a young girl approached him as he was stocking books, asked him if she could have one and sat on the floor nearby to read. "The look on this girl's face - she was so happy to be able to pick up a book and read it," the 16-year-old from West Roxbury said. "I was able to do that every day as a kid, so it was so rewarding for me to give that back to someone else who I could see really appreciated it."
Read the full story here and see below for a photo of Alex and Brendan and their team, along with Reach Out and Read Medical Consultant, Dr. Wendy Pavlovich.
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ADOPT-A-SITE Materials Available
The above article about the successful transformation of the RoxComp waiting room by Eagle Scouts Alex LeGendre and Brendan Chin is just one example of community participation in Adopt-A-Site.
Through the Adopt-A-Site program, Reach Out and Read Sites identify a local business or organization that might be interested in adopting their practice by means of a donation that would cover the cost of purchasing books, waiting room enhancements, and other items that are hard to squeeze into over-stretched budgets.
Since the last newsletter, the Reach Out and Read New England Coalition has been working to develop materials that Sites can use to solicit funding from local businesses and charitable organizations for their Reach Out and Read Programs. These are close to completion, so if you are considering using the Adopt-A-Site Program to help fund your share of books, please get in touch with your Regional Coordinator for support.
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Senator Jamie Eldridge visits Marlboro Pediatrics
On April 11, 2011, Massachusetts State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) paid a visit to Marlboro Pediatrics. In addition to touring the site and meeting with staff, Senator Eldridge read three books (Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, How do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms, and Maybe a Bear Ate It!) to an appreciative audience of 3-5 year olds, emphasizing the importance of reading aloud.
"I commend the doctors, nurses, and staff at Marlboro Pediatrics for their outstanding advocacy on behalf of children's literacy," said Senator Eldridge. "Reading to infants, toddlers, and young children every day is a critically important component of early childhood development, and it is vital to a child's ability to arrive at school ready to learn and succeed. Reach Out and Read distributes hundreds of thousands of books to children in our state each year in support of this worthy goal, and I am proud to support this outstanding program."
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Greater Gardiner Patient Appreciation Day
On Wednesday, August 17th, the Greater Gardner Community Health Center hosted its fourth annual Patient Appreciation Day. Tents filled with free books, clothing, and household items for families covered the Center's front lawn. There was even a special Reach Out and Read tent brimming with over 300 books donated by the Friends of the Princeton Library.
Jessica Heinzer, the Center's Reach Out and Read On-Site Coordinator, was not only instrumental in planning the event but also successful in ensuring that everything ran smoothly as a steady stream of "shoppers" roamed from tent to tent." It was a really great day," said Heinzer. "The children were so excited to be able to sit and read and even take books home with them."
By all accounts, Patient Appreciation Day was a huge success. Our congratulations to the staff members, patients, and volunteers at the Greater Gardner Community Health Center who worked tirelessly over the past year to organize such a wonderful event and to promote the importance of reading in their community.
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Online CME Course:
A Reach Out and Read Requirement
Yes, you read it here in the last issue.
No, this is not an editor's error.
Yes, there are many Sites whose staff have not yet completed the Online CME Course.
No, there is no reason not to do it NOW!
On-Site Coordinators will soon receive an invitation to a conference call/webinar that will help answer questions about the course; as always, please feel free to call your Regional Coordinator.
Now, more than ever, we must assure all our funders that our physicians and nurse practitioners are practicing our model with fidelity. They choose to fund us because of our strong evidence base; when books and anticipatory guidance are repeatedly offered, behaviors change at home. Parents speak to and read more frequently with their children. Vocabularies are enriched. Expressive and receptive language skills show marked increases.
Together, we can assure positive outcomes, but only when Reach Out and Read providers are implementing the model in its entirety. Reach Out and Read is about parental engagement and literacy promotion offered by medical providers; it is not a book give-away program!
And, special thanks to all Coordinators and Consultants who have ensured that all medical providers at their Sites are "re-trained" - or trained for the first time - using our online 1.25 CME course.
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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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