| Support Reach Out and Read in Washington | |
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Greetings!
Sunny moments, interspersed with days that feel like winter, mimic the emotions today at Reach Out and Read. We are so grateful that our funding continued in the just-finalized state budget. Yet we are sobered by the grim realities of many devastating cuts that have just become law, and will negatively impact children's futures.
As we roll up our sleeves to continue our work of supporting children and families, we wanted to quickly share some of our latest news: the state budget outcome; a Spokane TV appearance and funding partnership; highlights of our Program Director's trip to Southwest Washington; a New York Times feature; and an update on early literacy's connection with 3rd grade reading. The urgent need to improve early literacy skills so that children are ready for success in school and life is evident from coast to coast!
Each day Reach Out and Read providers share the joys and the challenges of parenthood with families. They demonstrate the power of books to bring parents and children together to cuddle, to connect, to read, to remember, and to imagine a better future.
This weekend we give thanks for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and to the generations before us who have made it possible for so many of us to work together on behalf of children everywhere.
With appreciation,
The Reach Out and Read Washington State Team
....because Reading Is Doctor-Recommended |
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COMPROMISE BUDGET INCLUDES REACH OUT AND READ | |
Support for Early Learning in Biennial Budget. Legislators are finally heading home. But it is certainly hard to celebrate a budget that required devastating cuts to so many programs impacting children and families. Despite an incredibly difficult economy, investing in evidence-based early learning programs is vital to our state's future. While early learning and health programs were cut, we are grateful that many were protected. We are particularly appreciative that the final budget continues Reach Out and Read's state funding. Without this, it would be nearly impossible for our work to continue. The federal budget process has cut all funding to our national office this year, creating significant challenges for programs across the nation, including our own. This state funding helps us leverage private resources and community support, which in turn enable us to support over 800 Reach Out and Read providers across the state, who work to provide high quality programs to children and families each day.
We thank all members of the legislature who made this possible, and all of you who took the time to advocate for Early Learning and Reach Out and Read this session. Please thank your legislators now. |
| SPOKANE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS RAISE AWARENESS AND SUPPORT FOR EARLY LEARNING | | |
 | | Fairchild Air Force Base |
Generous employees support Reach Out and Read. Four Reach Out and Read programs in Eastern Washington now have a little extra money to buy books, thanks to a gift from Premera Blue Cross. Book money was raised by Premera employees as part of their United Way campaign. Donations ranged from $300 to $1200, including a $750 check that was presented to the Fairchild Air Force Base Clinic. The clinic has been a Reach Out and Read site since 2005. Other programs receiving support include the CHAS clinics in Deer Park and Spokane Valley, as well as the Kids Clinic in Spokane. Our Spokane programs have grown from one to five, and community support is vital to their success.
TV special highlights Early Childhood and Reach Out and Read.
The Our Kids Our Business effort in the Inland Northwest included a one hour TV special this year. Dr. Dan Moorman, pediatrician lead for Reach Out and Read at the Community Health Association of Spokane (CHAS), shared the importance of reading aloud in the Health Matters Television for Life Early Childhood Development special. Dr. Moorman joined our colleagues Dr. Gina Lebedeva from I-LABS and Mary Schauer from ESD 101, for a conversational overview of how young children learn in the context of relationships. Watch the one-hour TV special on Spokane's KSPS.
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| SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON PROGRAMS REACH 10,000 KIDS | | |
 In-person visits support program quality. Program Director Jessica Mortensen recently visited Reach Out and Read programs in the southwest corner of our state. Child and Adolescent Clinic in Longview; Mid-Columbia Family Health clinics in Stevenson and White Salmon; Sea Mar-Vancouver; and The Vancouver Clinic locations at Columbia Tech Center, 87th Avenue, Salmon Creek, and Battle Ground hosted Jessica and shared their programs with her.
It is one of our most important--and favorite!--duties to travel throughout our state and see our programs' many successes and help them through any challenges they meet while implementing Reach Out and Read. The Reach Out and Read programs in Southwest Washington are doing a great job promoting early literacy for the nearly 10,000 children they serve each year!
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| NEW YORK TIMES SPOTLIGHTS REACH OUT AND READ | |
 Sunday Education section underscores importance of reading with babies. Reach Out and Read was featured in a story called Read Rx: Read to Your Baby . Learn more about the program at New York University and Bellevue Hospital, and see how Reach Out and Read supports parents and early literacy. "When we talk about developing literacy," said Jacqueline Jones, senior adviser for Early Learning at the United States Department of Education, "we have to understand it has to be grounded in a rich language understanding so that young children, and infants, need to be surrounded by people talking and talking a lot." |
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EARLY LITERACY SKILLS ARE LOW IN WASHINGTON | | |
Improvement is vital to 3rd grade reading success. Nearly half of Washington's entering kindergarteners for the 2010-2011 school year had skills below the expected grade level in the area of language, communication and literacy (WaKids Pilot 2011). Early literacy skills are predictive of 3rd grade reading skills, which in turn predict the likelihood of graduation from high school and the chances for success in life.
We at Reach Out and Read Washington State are pleased to be part of state and national initiatives to align our evidence-based birth through 5 program with other efforts to collectively improve 3rd grade reading success, and children's chances for success in school and life. Learn about Reach Out and Read's role in a national effort to improve literacy outcomes through CEO Earl Phalen's interview in Education Week.
The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading was recently launched as a collaborative effort by dozens of funders across the nation to: close the gap in reading achievement that separates many low-income students from their peers; raise the bar for reading proficiency so that all students are assessed by world-class standards; and ensure that all children, including and especially children from low-income families, have an equitable opportunity to meet those higher standards. |
| HELP PUT BOOKS IN THE HANDS OF CHILDREN | | |
Support Reach Out and Read while you shop
 You can help doctors put books into children's hands without spending an extra dime! If you do any shopping online via Amazon.com, a portion of your purchase can support ROR across Washington state. Simply go to www.reachoutandreadwa.org and click on the Amazon.com logo on the left bottom corner of the page to begin your shopping. If you click through and make a purchase, at least 4% will go directly to Reach Out and Read in Washington! This is an ongoing partnership for us, so please take this extra step before shopping at Amazon and share this opportunity with your friends and family.Please consider also making a direct tax-deductible donation to Reach Out and Read: Donate on Line. Just $5 can help place a beautiful book where it belongs, in a child's home.
Photo courtesy of Pediatrics Northwest PS, Tacoma
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FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK | | |
Reach Out and Read Washington State is now on Facebook. If you are a Facebook user, we would appreciate your support as we work to build our presence and increase awareness about our work. Please indicate you LIKE us. If you could also suggest our Facebook page to your friends, that would go a long way in helping us spread our message about early literacy - thanks! |
| ABOUT REACH OUT AND READ WASHINGTON STATE | |
Reach Out and Read helps prepare children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. Our evidence-based, proven program leverages the volunteer time of doctors to make literacy a standard part of well-child visits. Reach Out and Read supports parents as their child's first teacher. Through 119 programs in 28 counties, over 800 medical providers serve more than 68,000 children and families.
Founded in 2007, Reach Out and Read Washington State supports programs across the state. We are part of the national, evidence-based Reach Out and Read Program, now in its 22nd year.
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