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"All three children will show up for kindergarten on the same day, but one will have heard 32 million fewer words."
--Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook
In this last week before the election, words in campaign ads and numbers from a dizzying array of polls are swirling around us, and it is increasingly difficult to sort through what they mean, or even what is true. But behind all of this "noise" we know just how important this election is, and how precious is our right to vote. So we at Reach Out and Read urge you to keep young children and families in mind as you cast your ballots, and no matter the outcome to pledge to work together to invest in our collective future.
In a world filled with sound-bites, it may be hard to imagine that "more words are better," but for children this is indisputably true. A child's receptive (what they understand) and expressive (what they say) language skills are critical to their success in school and life. Try to wrap your head around "32 million words." That's almost as difficult to grasp as national deficit and budget numbers. But we can all agree that the number is ginormous, as my kids would say. Perhaps you even find it hard to believe that it's possible--that two children, by the tender age of 5 years, can be separated by that many words in terms of what they have heard. Wow. And it's not hard to imagine that it would be very hard--perhaps impossible--to make up for that difference later on, in the K-12 system. This is just one of the many sets of numbers that Hart and Risley discovered in their painstaking research with American families in the early 1990's, and which Reach Out and Read, and many others, use to explain the critical importance of parent engagement and early language and literacy development. (See story about Dr. Hart below).
Now check out this graph--these numbers are sobering too--but easier to grasp. By age 3--THREE this time, not 5--the actual vocabulary of children in different economic groups varied from 1,116 words down to 525 words. While we no longer use these terms to describe families, you can see the parallels with current conversations about upper-income, middle class, and low-income families. Economics does not explain all differences between children's educational outcomes, but it accounts for a lot. This was true in 1995, and is likely even more true in 2012.
So, why do I share this with you? Because sometimes numbers really matter. These vocabulary numbers matter. And we have a big problem with young children's language and literacy skills in this state. Less than half of children in Washington arrive at kindergarten with the skills they need. And we also have a lot of children living in low-income families, or in other circumstances likely to put them at higher risk for poor educational outcomes. That's the bad news.
But the good news is that we know what to do about it, and we're starting to do it! Reach Out and Read is Washington's statewide parent engagement and early literacy program. And we're now the largest early learning program in the state, reaching an estimated 86,000 young children along with their parents. We're addressing the very issue that Hart and Risley identified, and our program works! We are thrilled to report that we now have almost 1,000 doctors and other medical providers across Washington who are part of the solution. And they are supporting the most important people in children's lives--their parents--each and every day.
Please read on to see our latest data, watch our TV segments about children with disabilities and those living in homes where English is not the first language, see community support in Lewis County, read about Hart & Risley, and learn how ParentMap is helping to support our work.
We are absolutely convinced that Washington's future is not all doom and gloom! The most valuable resource we have, the wonderful children living in Washington State, will help lead us forward into a bright future--if we simply provide what they and their parents need in those most vital first years of life. Please help us make this possible.
Jill Sells, MD and the Reach Out and Read Washington team
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REACH OUT AND READ IMPACT IN WASHINGTON STATE
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 157,142 one-on-one visits with young children and their parents in the past year! That is the scope of the services delivered by our doctors and other medical providers over the past 12 months. Reach Out and Read programs complete progress reports every six months, and we just completed data analysis for the January-June 30, 2012 reporting period. We are thrilled to share the results with you! In the past six months, 132 programs reported data and provided 80,316 well-child visits and gave out 67,815 books. This means over the past 12 months we provided 157,142 visits and 131,262 books-continuing a growth trend. Nearly 1,000 medical providers now participate in Reach Out and Read across our state!
But just as important as the broad scope of our services, is the diversity of the population we serve. Collectively our programs serve mostly low-income families, many of whom are English language learners, with a significant presence in tribal communities and rural areas where families are often not receiving other parenting and early learning supports. Reach Out and Read is currently serving an estimated 86,000 children and families, of which 66% are living in low-income families, 47% are children of color, and 29% have a home language other than English. Check out www.reachoutandreadwa.org for links to the latest program list, map and overview.
We are very excited about our most recent data. But we do want you to note that there were almost 26,000 visits where the child did not receive a book; usually because the practice did not have enough books for every family. This demonstrates just how important it is for Reach Out and Read to raise more funds to support books as a vital element of program quality. 1,000 medical providers--so far--are actively participating in Reach Out and Read in Washington, and families are so excited to be part of this. We need to make it easier for doctors and medical practices to have the support and the books they need to do this well.
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NEW DAY NORTHWEST TV HIGHLIGHTS REACH OUT
AND READ
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Children with special needs and families where English is not the home language benefit from Reach Out and Read. This month completed our four-part series with Margaret Larson, host of New Day Northwest on King5 TV. We appreciate the chance to share the story of Reach Out and Read with a broad audience.
 Thanks to Jodie Zaricor, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Health Center, for sharing her passion for supporting children and families through Reach Out and Read. In 1998, almost 15 years ago, Jodie introduced Reach Out and Read to the Neonatal Follow-up Clinic within Tacoma's children's hospital. Since that time she has helped expand the program to several other clinics associated with Mary Bridge. Starting with children as early as two months of age, Jodie shows their parents the benefits of reading to their young children, and tailors her advice to the developmental needs of each child and family. She believes the program has made a huge difference in the lives of the children they care for, and all clinic staff enjoys participating in this program. Watch the show to learn more!
 Our final show delved into the special needs of children living in families where English is not the primary language, particularly those in low-income households. Thanks to Dr. Diana Lindner, Pediatrician at Eastgate Public Health Center, for joining us. Dr. Lindner was born in Argentina, and after practicing medicine in the Pacific Northwest for more than 30 years, she serves as a member of the Governor's Council on Health Disparities representing the Commission of Hispanic Affairs. When talking about families served at Eastgate, she notes that "most of our families live in poverty; many are immigrants, refugees and English language learners. We know that there is a strong relationship between poverty, school underachievement and poor health status. We strive to break this cycle by delivering strong messages about books, reading and planning from birth for the time when the child enters school. We reinforce this message through our Reach Out and Read program." Dr. Lindner also spoke about Reach Out and Read's Leyendo Juntos (Reading Together) Initiative, and how it helps medical providers support Spanish-speaking families.
Click below to watch the two shows (about six minutes each)!
Supporting Children with Disabilities and their Families with Jodie Zaricor, ARNP
Supporting Children and Families who are English Language Learners with Dr. Diana Lindner
Links to the shows are also featured at www.reachoutandreadwa.org.
We thank our campaign sponsors:
MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital & Health Center
Foundation for Early Learning
Seattle Children's
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PROVIDENCE CENTRALIA SUPPORTS REACH OUT AND READ
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Hard work of Northwest Pediatric Center doctors is supported by local hospital. Reach Out and Read Washington staff was thrilled to be part of Dr. Lily Lo's day as she was presented with a check by Dennis Mesaros, Chief Operating Officer at Providence Centralia Hospital, on September 21st to support the Northwest Pediatric Center's Reach Out and Read program. Northwest Pediatric Center physicians and nurse practitioners practice in Centralia, Chehalis, and Rochester. We applaud their dedication and tireless efforts to improve the health and literacy of their patients, and engage the community in early learning. Thank you to all of the medical providers and clinic staff at Northwest Pediatric Center and Providence Centralia Hospital!
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PARENTMAP PARTNERS TO SUPPORT REACH OUT
AND READ
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Reach Out and Read Washington State has been designated the ParentMap Honey Partner for November 2012! ParentMap Honey delivers opportunities for products and services at 50-90% off regular prices in partnership with kid-friendly, family-centric businesses. Here's how it works: sign up for ParentMap Honey and receive "sweet" deals twice a week in your e-mail inbox.
ParentMap's Giving Together program will generously donate 5 % of November's purchases to Reach Out and Read, recognizing our work on behalf of Washington families. In addition, for anyone who uses the above link to subscribe, Reach Out and Read Washington State will receive 5% of the net proceeds when that user makes purchases now and in the future. Please consider signing up, and pass this on to any friends with children. A big "Thank You" to ParentMap for their support for Reach Out and Read!
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REMEMBERING DR. BETTY HART
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 Pioneering research in families' homes showed the critical role of parents in early language development. Reach Out and Read was honored to be mentioned in The New York Times' recent tribute to Betty Hart, Ph.D. Dr. Hart's 1995 seminal study with Todd R. Risley, Ph.D., Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children, is foundational to so much of the work we do at Reach Out and Read.
Researchers recorded family interactions for one hour each month for 2-½ years beginning when the children were seven months old, working with 42 diverse "well-functioning" families from three occupational groups: professional, working class, and welfare recipients. Astonishingly, they discovered that children from professional families typically heard 2,153 words per hour, while children from working class families heard on average 1,251 words, and children of welfare recipients heard 616 words per hour. They wrote, "By age four, the average child in a welfare family might have 13 million fewer words of cumulative experience than the average child in a working-class family."
They found that while children from all three groups began to speak fluently at around the same time, by age three the children who had heard the most words had dramatically bigger vocabularies. Further, Hart and Risley showed that this gap in vocabulary, listening, syntax and reading comprehension continued into their school years and significantly affected their academic development, highlighting the importance of early intervention in vocabulary development and early literacy.
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REACH OUT AND READ WASHINGTON STATE ON FACEBOOK | | |
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 138 programs in 29 counties, almost 1,000 medical providers serve an estimated 86,000 children and families.
Founded by pediatricians 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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