In This Issue

SAVE THE DATE!

Books Build Better Brains:  Critical Intervention in the First 1,000 Days

 

Please join us for an informational briefing with pediatricians and early literacy experts from Reach Out and Read on Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 10:00 AM at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. 

 

Panelists will discuss early brain development, literacy and language acquisition, parental engagement, and the importance of a child's first 1,000 days. 

 

This event is co-sponsored by the Education Committee, the Committee on Children, and the Public Health Committee.  Our Panelists will inlcude: 

 

Dipesh Navsaria, MD, MPH, MSLIS, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine; Public Health Pediatrician, Access Community Health Centers, Madison, WI; Early Brain and Child Development Leadership Group, American Academy of Pediatrics; Medical Director, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin  

 

Cynthia Roque, MD

Pediatric Associates of Connecticut, PC, Waterbury

 

Catherine Wiley, MD, FAAP, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Chief, Division of General Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine; Medical Director, Primary Care Center, Connecticut Children's Medical Center; Connecticut Medical Director, Reach Out and Read.

Gifts that Reflect the Spirit of the Season

 

 

As you may have seen, Nicholas Kristof featured Reach Out and Read in his 2013 holiday giving guide in The New York Times!  We are thrilled and honored to be among the list of incredible organizations he encourages his readers to support this holiday season! 

 

You can read his full giving guide here.  

 

If you'd like to support Reach Out and Read Connecticut, CLICK here or mail your donation to PO Box 290, Madison CT 06443.  The first $10,000 raised will be matched by a generous grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven!
Reach Out and Read 
Micro-Lecture Series

Reach Out and Read offers monthly Micro-lectures on literacy- and language-related topics targeted to provide research, tips, and information immediately usable in Reach Out and Read exam room encounters by Reach Out and Read medical providers. The micro-lectures are typically presented by veteran Reach Out and Read providers and offer an opportunity to ask questions and have discussions with your Reach Out and Read colleagues locally and nationally.

 

The Most Updated Micro-Lecture Calendar can be found here

 

To register for any of the continuing education opportunities we offer, or to obtain further details, please email Sara Gabriel at our National Center.  We hope you will take advantage of these wonderful opportunities to deepen your knowledge and delivery of the Reach Out and Read model.
 Scholastic donates One Million Books to Reach Out and Read! 

 

To encourage all families to read with their children and to help more low-income families build home libraries, Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education and media company, donated one million books to Reach Out and Read.  

 

Scholastic is a long-time supporter of Reach Out and Read and continues to support our work to "prescribe" books and encourage families to read together.  We are so grateful for this new donation of one million books!  Thank you Scholastic!  

 

The details of Scholastic's generous donation can be found here.

 

Extra, extra, read all about it! 

 

Kudos to Reach Out and Read Co-Founder Dr. Robert Needlman for being featured in the Yale Alumni Magazine in a witty "Where Are They Now?" Q&A. 

 

You can read the full article here - it is excellent and well-deserved recognition!

Read Every Day: 

A Healthy Prescription for Your child 

 

Huffington Post Parents recently featured Reach Out and Read in an Op-Ed piece: "Read Every Day: A Healthy Prescription for Your child."  

 

The Op-Ed was a collaboration between Reach Out and Read National, Scholastic, and Dr. Dipesh Navsaria, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin Medical Director. It shares our message about the importance of reading aloud to very young children and helps promote Scholastic's Read Every Day campaign. 

 
Come meet Dr. Navsaria in Hartford on January 28th, when he will present at our informational briefing at the state capitol.  See our article above on "Books Build Better Brains" for further details on the briefing.
Girl Reading

Please help make a difference in a child's life.  Donate here.  

Thank you!

Harvard Studies the Neuroscience of "Building Better Brains"

 

The Alberta Wellness Foundation, one of the charter entities within Harvard's  Frontiers of Innovation (FOI) recently released a 5 minute video on the topic of neuroscience in early development.

To view this video CLICK here.

 

Frontiers of Innovation is a division of Harvard University's Center of the Developing Child. 

Stanford Studies

Language Gap Between Rich and Poor

Research by Stanford psychologists reveals that two-year-old children of lower-income families may already be six months behind in language development. Future work aims to devise intervention methods.

 

The article titled,

"Language gap between rich and poor children begins in infancy, Stanford psychologists find"  really underscores the need for the work we do at Reach Out and Read!


Reach Out and Read New England
Connecticut Newsletter
Winter 2013

Serving 40,415 Connecticut Children
in 70 Clinical Locations
________________________________________

Dear Reach Out and Read Colleagues:

 

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Dewali--however you celebrate, as the winter solstice approaches and the longer days brings light to the New Year, Sherry, Kerry and I wish you a warm and festive holiday season. 

 

With many thanks for all that you do, 

Chris 

Christine Garber

Connecticut Executive Director

Medical Director's Note

 

Dear Reach Out and Read Colleagues,

 

Wishing each of you a Happy and Healthy New Year! Another year has come and gone so quickly.  Perhaps, like me, you've made a resolution to try this year to make time for the things that count the most. For me, high on that list is time spent reading with a child and coaching the parents of young children about reading.

 

Among the many anticipatory guidance items on our checklist, Reach Out and Read has the best evidence base. Reach Out and Read is the only anticipatory guidance activity proven to promote child development. When you participate in Reach Out and Read, you address a critical need with a successful model. Children served by Reach Out and Read are read to more often, have better expressive and receptive language skills, and are better prepared for success in school.

 

The Reach Out and Read model provides parents with personalized, age-appropriate advice about books and reading at every well-child visit from 6 months to 5 years, along with the gift of a new developmentally and culturally appropriate book. Books are used by the provider at the beginning of the visit during developmental surveillance, and as a vehicle to offer concrete guidance to parents. Armed with this guidance, parents make reading aloud a part of their daily routines.

 

Reach Out and Read has survived significant funding challenges. Following the loss of Federal funding to the Reach Out and Read National Center in 2011, we increased our fundraising efforts here in Connecticut to continue to provide at least 50% of your annual book need. We have been fortunate to secure private foundation grants to accomplish this goal. However, private foundations expect us to demonstrate that their funds are used as they were intended to be used.

 

We incorporate the data from your progress reports and provider surveys into our grant applications and outcomes reports. Consequently, it is critically important that your program reports be accurate.  This emphasis on quality also means that each provider has completed the on-line, CME-accredited training, that your book and anticipatory guidance delivery is as close to 100% as possible, and that your mechanisms for tracking book distribution are accurate. Funders will certainly question the integrity of our program if providers are not trained, or if fewer than 80% of our children receive books and advice. The result could be loss of grant support or renewal. 

 

Our goal is to increase our funding and provide as many books as possible for all Connecticut Reach Out and Read programs. By being excellent stewards of the books made available to your program, you are paving the way for us to reach this goal together.

 

So please resolve to make the most of your Reach Out and Read opportunities this year. It is time well spent. Thank you for dedication to Reach Out and Read and to the children and families you serve every day in the exam room.

Sincere Regards-
Cathy
Catherine Wiley, MD
Connecticut Medical Director 
GET YOUR TICKETS BEFORE 
THEY ARE SOLD OUT!
 
ONCE UPON A TIME...There Was A Fundraiser
 
Reach Out And Read Connecticut is excited to announce that our first major fundraising (and friend-raising) event will take place on  Saturday, April 5, 2014, from 7:00PM-10:00PM at the Blackstone Memorial Library in Branford. 

 

This is going to be a memorable and magical evening -- guests will wander the Library, visiting food and beverage stations designed to echo classic stories and fairy tales.  Inspired pairings of caterers, restaurants and beverage companies with designers, party planners and artists will bring some of your favorite children's books to life.  Imagine a pasta station with a Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs theme.  Or a luscious collection of sweets and tarts, displayed in a scene straight out of The Queen Of Hearts nursery rhyme.  This is just the beginning.

 

We're already celebrating the generous support of these creative sponsors:  A Thyme To Cook, Cloud Nine Catering, Dagmar's Desserts, Datura - A Modern Garden, Earth2, Earth2 Edibles, Fleur de Lys, the Flower Shop at Cheshire Nursery, Ganim's Garden Center & Florist, Gira Events & Florals, Gourmet Galley, Hana Floral Design, Jordan Caterers, Jubilee Events, La Cuisine, Karen Mangiacotti-Miller, Maple Lane Farms,  RIPE Craft Bar Juices, SKYY Vodka, Sheila Welling.  You'll be hearing about more additions in the weeks to come, as well as about the generous corporate sponsors joining us through this unique event.    

 

Make your plans to join us today to celebrate the mission and programs of Reach Out and Read Connecticut. Tickets, at $75 per person, are available now at our Eventbrite link: CLICK here (We anticipate a sold-out party, so don't delay!)

 

As an extra benefit, the first $10,000 raised will be matched by a generous grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven!  What a wonderful way to double the impact your donation makes!

 

Join us in April for ONCE UPON A TIME...celebrate great food and drink and creativity, for a little taste of happily ever after!

 

(For questions about sponsorship, in-kind creative donors, tickets, and event details, please contact Event Chair Josh Chalmers, at josh@earth2company.com

Support from our State Legislators!

 

Over the past months Reach Out and Read programs across the state have been visited by some of our finest State Senators.

 

In September, State Senators Terry Gerratana and Beth Bye visited Pediatric Associates of Farmington.  "There is nothing more important to a child's well-being 

than regular checkups at an early age, and by using these checkups as an opportunity to encourage regular reading, children develop a strong foundation for their education while also improving their health," said Senator Gerratana, co-chair of the legislature's Public Health Committee. "I am so glad to be able to participate in the Reach Out and Read program today. It is a pleasure to meet all these wonderful young people and read with them."


"My experience with early childhood education is that the earlier we can get children interested in reading, the better they will do in elementary school," said Senator Bye, who holds a Masters' Degree in child development and is recognized as one of Connecticut's leading authorities on early childhood programs and education. "Reach Out and Read is a great way to connect with kids and their parents and to instill confidence and a love of books and reading."  You can read more about the Senators' visits here.   

 

State Senator Andrea L. Stillman, co-chair of the legislature's Education Committee, read to children from Friendship School of Waterford during her visit to Community Health Center, Inc., in New London in support of their Reach Out and Read program. The children loved hearing Senator Stillman's rendition of "Book, Book, Book" and enjoyed going home with a new book of their own! 

"The ability to read opens the door to successful learning in every other subject area, including math, science, and even music, so it's imperative we emphasize reading skills for young students in school readiness programs," said Senator Stillman. "Disparities in reading ability also contribute directly to the state's troublesome achievement gap, another reason to encourage and applaud this Reach Out and Read program at New London's Community Health Center."

 

Full details from the visit can be found here. 

 

Senator Dante Bartolomeo's storytelling delighted the children from Head Start in Meriden. The Senator visited the Reach Out and Read program at Community Health Center, Inc. in Meriden in November. She read and sang with the children and enjoyed starting her day on such a fun note. 

 

"This program helps facilitate a positive interactive experience between parents and children at a critical time in their development," said Senator Dante Bartolomeo, co-chair of the legislature's Children's Committee. "By coupling the importance of reading with regular health checkups, Reach Out and Read not only helps foster strong, nurturing relationships but can also translate into future academic success. 

 

Check out all the fun from the Senator's visit here.

 

Thank you to all of the legislators who recently visited Connecticut Reach Out and Read programs.  Additional pictures and videos of the visits can be seen on our

Songwriter, Performer and Children's Advocate John Farrell performs for Reach Out and Read at Barnes and Noble's Holiday Book Drive Launch

 

The First Graders from KT Murphy Elementary School in Stamford were entertained by community leaders and singer  John Farrell at Barnes & Noble, Stamford Town Center. This Barnes & Noble is one of several stores in Connecticut supporting our programs through their annual holiday book drive.  Guest readers included firefighter Angelo Ripegno, Captain Mark Shannon of the Stamford Fire Dept, Dr. Tamu Lucero, Assistant Elementary Superintendent of Stamford Schools, and Nan Waite, aka "Dr. Lucy Goosey." Nan is a Literacy Volunteer and a "HaHa Clown" at Stamford Hospital. 

 

To hear  John Farrell singing his original  "Library Song," visit our Facebook page. We encourage you to support John by considering him for any upcoming children's events that you may be involved in planning. He is an engaging entertainer who delights the children.  His songs and stories promote early childhood literacy.  We at Reach Out and Read CT are so thankful he shared his talents with us in November.  Thank you, John, for making it such a memorable day!  Special thanks to Toni LeClair, Community Relations Manager at Barnes & Noble Stamford Town Center, for hosting us. 

 

We would also like to recognize the other generous Barnes & Noble locations in Connecticut that are partnering with Reach Out and Read for their annual holiday book drives, including Yale Bookstore, The Shoppes at Buckland Hills, and The Shoppes at Farmington Valley.  Additionally, the United Way of Western Connecticut is sharing books from their holiday book drive at the Barnes & Noble Danbury Square Mall.  We are proud to have these great partners who promote early childhood literacy.

Thank you Middletown Rotary for Hosting Reach Out and Read! 

In October Christine Garber, Connecticut Executive Director of Reach Out and Read, and April Diep, D.O., a first year resident with Middlesex Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program, presented an overview of the Reach Out and Read model to the Middletown Rotary.  We appreciate their support and their work in promoting literacy in the Middletown Community. To read more about this CLICK here.

Reach Out and Read Connecticut has 

the Most Generous Supporters!

 

We are so very grateful for all of our wonderful donors across the state.  Most recently, Reach Out and Read Connecticut received generous donations from the following supporters:

 

In support of our New Haven programs, we thank both the NewAlliance Foundation and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.  The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven will be matching the first $10,000 we raise from individual donations in Connecticut.  If you would like to double the impact your donation makes, please CLICK here.

 

In support of our Waterbury programs, we thank both The Connecticut Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Waterbury for their generous donations.

 

United Way of Western Connecticut is donating new books to our Danbury programs!  Partnering with Barnes & Noble at the Danbury Square Mall for their annual holiday book drive, the United Way of Western Connecticut has generously chosen our Danbury Reach Out and Read programs as the recipient of these new books. Thank you!

 

Cover 2 Cover, located at Bradley International Airport, is partnering with us again this year for their holiday book drive.  The book drive runs through the end of the year.  As of December 10th, they have already collected over 750 books for Reach Out and Read.  We greatly appreciate the new books!  Cover 2 Cover is owned and operated by Faber International.

 

Thank you to the many individual donors who supported us through the Connecticut Community Foundation's "Give Local" on-line campaign and The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven's "Great Give" on-line campaign.  A BIG thank you to all of the individual donors who generously support the work we are doing throughout the state.

 

Without such wonderful supporters, we would not be able to continue the important work that we do.  Thank you!

 
 

Don't forget to give us your mailing address here!
To donate to Reach Out and Read Connecticut, click here.

  Thank you!

Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.