| Support Reach Out and Read in Washington | |
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Greetings!
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.
- Dr.Seuss, The Lorax
While we are mostly beyond Dr. Seuss books in our house, this is a month of Seuss-related activities for my fifth grader and kids everywhere. In honor of Read Across America Day on Dr. Seuss's March 2nd birthday, her school was filled with decorated classroom doors. To complement the many Cat in the Hat and Lorax themes, her classmates chose Bartholomew and the Oobleck--this is a Caldecott Honor Book from 1950 that I don't remember reading! And while I'm not always a fan of books-turned-into-movies, we enjoyed seeing The Lorax last weekend. Dr. Seuss' books are timeless--fun, funny, full of rhymes and tongue-twisting verses, often conveying important life lessons. Today's quote from The Lorax is as relevant for early childhood advocates as it is for the environmental messages in the movie.
 | | Drs. Mary Ann Woodruff and Jill Sells |
Last week Dr. Woodruff and I were in Washington, DC with Reach Out and Read leaders from across the nation. We visited members of our Congressional Delegation to talk about Reach Out and Read and early learning in Washington state. Knowledge of gridlock in D.C. was juxtaposed with a beautiful day walking between the House and Senate Office buildings. This was the first time we'd seen sharp shooters on the Capitol steps (Benjamin Netanyahu was speaking). We spoke with a cab driver born in Ghana about the crisis in Syria enroute to visit the new Martin Luther King Memorial, whose surrounding quotes are so relevant to the history of our nation and to our current domestic and international challenges. I was very much present in the thought that our work--to get books in the hands of babies and young children and support parents as their child's first teacher--is such an important part of what every child needs to achieve his potential, and to become actively engaged in a more positive future.
I was so hoping to write this newsletter as the final installment in updates around the state legislature and the budget, but that is not yet to be! Our thoughts remain with legislators working hard to finalize a budget that we hope prioritizes support for young children and families, including Reach Out and Read. Please read on for updates from both Washingtons, see a Harborview doctor in action with the Cat in the Hat, contemplate the role of E-readers in children's lives, and check out the new Reach Out and Read video.
As we thank you for "caring an awful lot" about young children and families. I'll close with another Dr. Seuss quote, "You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child."
Jill Sells, MD and the Reach Out and Read Washington Team
....because Reading Is Doctor-Recommended
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LEGISLATORS BACK FOR ANOTHER SPECIAL SESSION
IN OLYMPIA | | 
Budget negotiations continue, early learning funding remains at risk. We are disappointed that the regular session ended on March 8th without a budget, and with the Senate at an impasse. The Governor called legislators back into a Special Session on March 12 and budget negotiations continue. Read Why is the budget still being debated? in the March 14th United Ways of Washington newsletter for more detail.
We remain thankful that there are champions for early learning in both chambers and both parties, and that Reach Out and Read's funding remains in all the legislative proposals seen to date. However, early learning cuts have been proposed. Please contact your legislators to urge them to continue to fund early learning, including Reach Out and Read, in the final budget.
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HARBORVIEW DOCTORS READ TO KIDS WITH THE CAT IN THE HAT LOOKING ON | | |
 The Pediatrics Clinic at Harborview Medical Center has participated in Reach Out and Read since 1998. They recently held a successful Book Fair at Barnes and Noble to support the program, raising over $1,000 to purchase Reach Out and Read books to be given to children in clinic. Drs. Brian Johnston and Joshua Parlaman read to the children at the Pacific Place store while the Cat in the Hat visited. Shoppers bought books from their "wish list" to donate to the clinic and 10% of the value of their purchases was donated by Barnes and Noble to the literacy funds for the clinic. (Photo of Dr. Johnston courtesy of Harborview)
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REACH OUT AND READ LEADERS FROM ACROSS THE NATION MEET IN WASHINGTON, DC | |
National meeting supports Reach Out and Read Washington State efforts. Dr. Sells and Dr. Mary Ann Woodruff, a practicing Tacoma pediatrician and our statewide Medical Director, had a whirlwind trip to DC last week. This was their 5th trip together for this annual gathering of Reach Out and Read leaders from our national office and all across the country. We came together to network, discuss best practices, and strategize how to continue to grow and support Reach Out and Read programs that improve outcomes for children across the nation. From inspiring talks from one of our co-founders, Dr. Robert Needlman from Ohio, to a research update from Dr. Alan Mendelsohn from New York, it was a great opportunity to take a critical look at our work, and to learn from each other.
We then had our annual "Hill Day" with meetings with staff of nine members of Washington's Delegation, and with Congressman Jim McDermott himself, one of the few doctors in Congress. Our Washington meetings were part of 280 Reach Out and Read meetings that day! We updated legislators on the status of early learning in Washington state, and the growth of Reach Out and Read as part of our state educational system. Reach Out and Read programs across the country, including Washington, have benefited greatly from federal funding over the years. We shared the message of how important this funding is to our ability to have a very cost-efficient, high quality national network of program that partners with state and local efforts. Despite what we often see as a very frustrating situation in DC, it is gratifying to continually see increasing understanding of the importance of early childhood and Reach Out and Read among both chambers and both parties over time. That said, the struggle to regain and retain funding for Reach Out and Read in this budget climate continues. |
THE CHANGING DEFINITION OF A BOOK | |
 | | Earl Martin Phalen, Reach Out and Read CEO |
Proliferation of e-devices does not change the core messages parents need to hear. Most pediatricians cringe at least a little bit as each new electronic device comes along with their patients into clinic visits, increasingly in the hands of even those who cannot even talk or walk! We often call this the great experiment-- there is no way to know for sure what impact all these devices will ultimately have on our children. But there is certainly plenty of evidence suggesting that "more screen time" is generally not a good thing, and even more evidence showing that reading, and reading together as family, is a very good thing! But the questions come up often now: "What do you think of e-readers?" and even "Do you think you should still be giving out children's books or should we be moving only toward electronic versions?" (Cringe even more!)
Well, complex issues never have simple answers! But we think that Reach Out and Read CEO Earl Martin Phalen captured some great thoughts in Beyond Books: Thoughts on Children's Literacy Going High Tech. "What we do know is what we've always known: Children who are read to from an early age have a better chance of succeeding in school and in life than those who are not. That's the message we continue to spread. With research behind us, we know that engaged parents can make a serious and meaningful difference in their children's educational outcomes."
And for those who choose to use e-readers, some advice: "The e-reader should be used by parents and children together with focus, with the same goals as a physical book. It should stimulate a child's language, listening, prediction, and cognitive skills, build curiosity and memory, and create a nurturing environment positive for both the parent and the child. Time spent reading aloud to a child should be just that, not an opportunity to check email, play games, or update a Facebook status."
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REACH OUT AND READ 2012 VIDEO | |
 | | This five-minute video shows clips from founding pediatricians, pediatric experts, CEO Earl Martin Phalen, and children and families Reach Out and Read serves. |
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REACH OUT AND READ WASHINGTON STATE ON FACEBOOK
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Reach Out and Read Washington State is on Facebook. Please 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!
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ABOUT REACH OUT AND READ WASHINGTON STATE
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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 132 programs in 29 counties, over 800 medical providers serve more than 81,000 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, founded in 1989.
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CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email - washington@reachoutandread.org
Telephone - 206-524-3579
Fax - 206-524-4768
Address - 155 NE 100th Street - Suite 301, Seattle WA 98125
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