Join Us with New York Times Best Selling Mystery and Suspense Authors at:
Reach Out and Read Connecticut is excited to be selected as the non-profit partner for The Big Book Getaway. (See The Day's feature article on us!) As the non-profit partner, Reach Out and Read Connecticut will receive $10.00 from every ticket purchased using code "READ."
The Big Book Getaway promises a "thrilling" evening with a fabulous line-up of mystery and suspense authors including:
- John Searles, Editor-at-Large for Cosmopolitan Magazine, Book Critic for the NBC Today Show, and author of Boy Still Missing, Strange But True, and Help For The Haunted;
- Tess Gerritsen, internationally bestselling author and creator of the Rizzoli & Isles series on TNT;
- Alafair Burke, American crime novelist, professor of law, legal commentator, and author of two series of crime novels featuring NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher and Prosecutor Samantha Kincaid;
- Lisa Unger, whose novels including Beautiful Lies and In The Blood have sold more than 1.7 million copies and been translated into twenty-six languages; and
- Old Lyme's own David Handler, author of the popular Hoagy & Lulu and Mitch & Desiree mysteries.
The event will be moderated by Hank Phillippi Ryan, investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate, who has won 32 EMMYs and dozens of other awards for her ground-breaking journalism. Phillippi-Ryan is also the coveted Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author of crime fiction including The Other Woman and The Wrong Girl.
Tickets, which are $45 and include a signature martini and light hors d'oeuvres, can be purchased here. Don't forget to use the code
READ. We hope to see you there!
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Thank You for Completing
Your Progress Reports!
As you know, Reach Out and Read relies on the generosity of our funders who hold us to high standards. We are proud to say that 100% of our progress reports in Connecticut were submitted on time! Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to Reach Out and Read!
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Reach Out and Read CT Welcomes CornerStone Pediatrics in Stamford
In late August, CornerStone Pediatrics in Stamford became the newest Connecticut Reach Out and Read program site. Dr. Stella Sabile works with Alejandra Procaccini in the office, which opened last March. When Alejandra joined Dr. Sabile she told her all about Reach Out and Read and they immediately filled out the application to become a part of Reach Out and Read. Alejandra, who participated in Reach Out and Read at her previous position, says "It is amazing the see the children so excited about books and reading!" Reading was an important part of Dr. Sabile's routine when raising her three children and she is hoping to instill the same love of reading in her patients. Welcome CornerStone Pediatrics! |
Become a Reach Out and Read
Book Buddy
Looking for a unique way to honor a special person, give a gift that keeps on giving, and change a life? Check out our Book Buddy program! Our Book Buddy program offers you a unique and easy way to share the gift of reading with children in need every month of the year. You choose a monthly donation amount and we put your support to work each month to prescribe books and reading to children in need. Click here to sign up to be a Book Buddy and change the lives of many children in our state.
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Reach Out and Read Receives 2014 Carle Honors Angel Award
Reach Out and Read is thrilled, honored, and grateful to have been bestowed the 2014 Angel Award by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art! September 18 marked the ninth annual gala and fundraiser for The Eric Carle Museum, at which the 2014 Carle Honors were awarded to "organizations and people who have played an instrumental role in making children's books a vibrant and influential art and literacy form in America."
Of the four Carle Honors awards, Reach Out and Read was given the Angel Award for being "tireless promoters of early literacy and school readiness, as exemplified through the Reach Out and Read programs established in thousands of pediatric exam rooms nationwide." At the New York City Gala, Brain Gallagher, Executive Director, Reach Out and Read, and Perri Klass, MD, National Medical Director, Reach Out and Read, accepted the award on behalf of the organization.
Other honorees were Artist Award recipient Jerry Pinkney, "celebrated illustrator of over 100 children's books and winner of numerous awards, including the 2010 Caldecott Medal for The Lion and The Mouse;" Mentor Award recipient Henrietta Smith, "influential children's librarian, scholar, and author, leading advocate for quality and diversity in children's literature;" and Bridge Award recipient Francoise Mouly, "publisher and editorial director for TOON Books, high-quality comics for young children, art editor of The New Yorker."
We are thrilled to be honored in company with this distinguished group of leaders of children's books.
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It's Relevant at The Norwalk Community Health Center
The recent policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) was highlighted by reporter Kwegyirba Croffie from It's Relevant, Norwalk Edition. She went to The Norwalk Community Health Center, one of the 21 Reach Out and Read sites in Fairfield County, and spoke with Dr. Sarah Siegel, Clinical Director of Pediatrics, to see what this statement means for pediatricians. Dr. Siegel stated, "The new American Academy of Pediatrics statement says that we should be reading aloud to our children from birth and it's really in the first three years of life that they develop such important literacy skills, and we see that here." Click here to see the video segment.
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Use Amazon? Love Reach Out and Read? Then make all of your Amazon purchases through Amazon Smile and support Reach Out and Read at no additional cost to you!
Shop via Amazon Smile (instead of Amazon) and a percentage of eligible purchases will be donated to Reach Out and Read.
Visit http://smile.amazon.com/and then
type in Reach Out and Read, Inc. instead of one of the pre-selected choices. Happy shopping! |
Dr. Cynthia Mann on Breaking the Poverty Cycle
In an August Op-Ed in The New Haven Register, Dr. Cynthia Mann of Whitney Pediatrics in Hamden talks about using early literacy to break the poverty cycle. She points out that an estimated 40% of children living in New Haven are living in poverty and goes on to say that "literacy can be one of the strongest antidotes to the ever-increasing school drop-out rate, which contributes greatly to poverty in our communities." Dr. Mann also talks about the role language exposure plays: "Children whose parents do not talk to them regularly have been exposed to as many as 30 million fewer words compared to children in families who have regular conversation. Vocabulary and word comprehension are critical to reading success."
Dr. Mann includes various suggestions to work on the parent-child bond and lists programs and resources that are available in the New Haven area, including Reach Out and Read.
Click here to read her entire Op-Ed in The New Haven register.
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UncommonGoods-Better to Give
Great news from our friends at UncommonGoods! They have asked Reach Out and Read to stay on as one of its "Better to Give" partners through the end of 2014. Shop online at UncommonGoods and you'll have the chance to choose Reach Out and Read at checkout as your nonprofit of choice to receive a $1 donation. In the three month period between March and June, UncommonGoods raised $5,698 for Reach Out and Read. Just remember to choose Reach Out and Read. It's that easy!
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Stay Connected!
Stay up- to-date with all things Reach Out and Read! Click here to see our updated website and don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
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Reach Out and Read New England
Connecticut Newsletter
Fall 2014
Serving 38,634 Connecticut Children
in 69 Clinical Locations
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Dear Reach Out and Read Colleagues,
The summer has been such an exciting (and busy) time for us at Reach Out and Read both locally and nationally. We are so pleased with the recent policy statement released by the American Academy of Pediatrics promoting books and literacy as an essential part of primary pediatric care and citing Reach Out and Read as a model program for doing this. Dr. Wiley explains the impact of this policy in her article below. This is wonderful news for all children and families!
Nationally, Reach Out and Read was selected as the U.S. charitable partner for Ralph Lauren's Global Children's Literacy Program and received the 2014 Carle Honors Angel Award from the Eric Carle Museum. Locally, Reach Out and Read Connecticut was selected as the non-profit partner for the Big Book Getaway in Old Saybrook CT. Read about all of these wonderful accolades and more in this issue.
As we look to the fall, we will be bringing on two new Reach Out and Read program sites here in Connecticut, one in Stamford and the second one in Bristol. We are thrilled to be expanding slowly and steadily, reaching more children while sustaining our established programs. It is truly a pleasure to work towards the day when all of our Connecticut children, regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status, enter school at grade level, ready to learn to read and succeed in school and in life. Thank you for your part in the strides we are making every day.
Chris
Christine Garber
Connecticut Executive Director
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American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Releases Policy Statement "Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice"
CT Medical Director, Catherine Wiley, MD
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June 23, 2014 was an exciting day for Reach Out and Read. On this date, the Council on Early Childhood of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released its policy statement "Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice."1 This important statement marks the first time that the AAP has formally endorsed early literacy promotion in the office as a best practice. The AAP policy statement recognizes the importance of literacy as a critical life skill with quality of life, economic and health implications, and highlights the evidence that it is possible to set children on a path to success in reading and in school at a very early age.
The AAP recommends that all pediatricians do three things in their daily practice:
1) Encourage parents to read out loud with their young children daily. This nurtures the parent-child relationship, and fundamentally alters the actual structure and development of the brain to better understand and use language and literacy skills.
2) Counsel parents about developmentally-appropriate and fun reading activities that promote language and literacy skills.
3) Provide developmentally- and culturally-appropriate books at well-child visits for all high-risk, low-income children.
The policy statement goes on to urge pediatricians to be creative in finding ways to carry out these activities, to be assertive in seeking opportunities to advocate for the message that early literacy exposure is critical, and to support efforts to fund books for low income children.
Finally, the Policy statement describes the evidence base that demonstrates the many positive effects of reading aloud to young children, including more frequent parent-child reading, more positive attitudes toward books, stronger language skill development and better kindergarten readiness. The Policy statement reminds us that of all the literacy promotion programs available, Reach Out and Read is the most well-studied and most widely disseminated model of literacy promotion seated in the child's medical home.
The 69 Reach Out and Read sites in Connecticut are ahead of the curve. Many children across Connecticut have benefitted by receiving care in well-established, high-quality Reach Out and Read programs for over 20 years. Our goal for Connecticut Reach Out and Read is to help support and sustain existing programs, foster high-quality literacy guidance with fidelity to the proven model, help bring Reach Out and Read to Connecticut providers who are not yet providing this best practice for their patients, and continue to increase public awareness about the critical importance of early literacy promotion, including the Reach Out and Read model.
1Council on Early Childhood, American Academy of Pediatrics. Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice; accessed at pediatrics.aappublications.org, June 24, 2014.
See our Television Interview Surrounding
the AAP Policy Statement
Connecticut Executive Director Christine Garber and Reach Out and Read Connecticut Medical Director Catherine Wiley, MD, had the opportunity to sit with Shawn Murphy from For The Record and talk about Reach Out and Read and how the new AAP Policy Statement impacts their work. Click here to see the interview. |
Ralph Lauren Launches Children's Literacy Program and Limited Edition Line of Clothing and Accessories
"Books open windows to the world and have
the power to transform lives." Ralph Lauren
"Ralph Lauren Corporation proudly supports children's literacy and education worldwide. Books have the power to transform lives. By inspiring families to read together and providing access to books to children in need, we are committed creating the next generation of readers," Ralph Lauren Corporation.
Reach Out and Read is proud to be named the U.S. non-profit partner of Ralph Lauren's new Global Children's Literacy Program. Twenty-five percent of sales from Ralph Lauren's limited edition literacy-themed collection will support Reach Out and Read through the donation of Scholastic books for our program sites. Additionally, during the month of August, 10 percent of sales from the clothes featured in Ralph Lauren's fall children's fashion show went to support Reach Out and Read.
Click here to get your literacy t-shirt and see this
wonderful literacy collection, featured in InStyle magazine. These unique items make great gifts for the upcoming holidays!
We are thrilled about this incredible opportunity to partner with a major global brand and to raise awareness about the importance of children's literacy!
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A Path Appears by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn Features Reach Out and Read
A Path Appears, a new book by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn,
was released on September 23 . Both educational and empowering, A Path Appears explores the science of giving, and tells the story of people and organizations effecting real change on the front lines of social progress. Reach Out and Read is incredibly honored to be featured in this guide to the transformative power of action.
As part of their book tour, Kristof and WuDunn will be stopping in Connecticut for two scheduled events. Come see them at the Edgerton Performing Arts Center in Fairfield on September 26 at 6:15 pm or at Literary Matters in Old Greenwich on October 23 at 7:00 pm. More details about the book and the scheduled events are available here.
Also, check out Kristof's two recent columns in
The New York Times where he cites Reach Out and Read as an organization making a difference:
"The Way to Beat Poverty" where Kristof says, "One reason the United States has not made more progress against poverty is that our interventions come too late. If there's one overarching lesson from the past few decades of research about how to break the cycles of poverty in the United States, it's the power of parenting - and of intervening early, ideally in the first year or two of life or even before a child is born."
"Is a Hard Life Inherited?" In it, Kristof talks about the importance of reading to children early and the role Reach Out and Read plays. He also includes a link to a PBS NewsHour story with Dr. Pamela High from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) discussing the importance of reading to children and the new AAP policy that makes reading a standard part of pediatric care.
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Reach Out and Read Connecticut on WTNH News Channel 8 Medical Segment
Dr. Linda Mathew, Christine Garber and Jocelyn Maminta
(Click here to see the segment.)
What a treat to have WTNH's medical reporter Jocelyn Maminta visit Dr. Linda Mathew at Alliance Medical Group in Middlebury to talk about how pediatricians are promoting reading through Reach Out and Read. Maminta saw Reach Out and Read in action as Dr. Mathew demonstrated the program during a well-child visit for a patient who was getting ready to enter kindergarten.
Alliance Medical Group is a newer Reach Out and Read program in the Greater Waterbury area and one of the three new Reach Out and Read program sites generously supported by the United Way of Greater Waterbury over the last few years. With the addition of Alliance Medical Group, Dr. Michael Rokosky's practice, and most recently Pediatric Associates of Connecticut, there are now seven Reach Out and Read programs sites in Greater Waterbury serving over 7,200 children and families. With so many participating practices, Waterbury may become the first "Bookend City" in the state - an honor given to a city in which all eligible pediatric practices participate in Reach Out and Read.
In addition to the generous support of the United Way of Greater Waterbury, our Greater Waterbury program sites are funded in part by the Connecticut Community Foundation and the American Savings Foundation. We are thankful for the support of all of our funders and for the many medical providers who deliver our program in the exam room every day! Click here to see the segment.
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