The Reach Out and Read model has three key components:

- Doctors give books to children 6 months through 5 years old at their regular checkups
- Doctors give advice to parents about reading aloud with their children and the development of early literacy skills
- Waiting rooms are literacy-rich, with reading material for children, information for parents, and volunteer readers who model read-aloud techniques to parents.

Why Reach Out and Read?

Low-Income Children Lack Exposure to Books  
About a third of children enter kindergarten without the basic language skills they will need to learn to read.   Almost 1 in 4 children in low-income homes have fewer than 10 books of any kind in their household. Studies show that early exposure to books and the printed word marks the difference between prepared and unprepared students.   

Pediatricians Have Access to Young Children 
Reach Out and Read capitalizes on the trust and respect parents have for their children’s pediatrician, as well as the frequent access pediatricians have with young children.  In fact, 96% of all children 0-5 see their doctor at least once a year—more than any other service provider.

Reach Out and Read is Cost-Effective 
Reach Out and Read doctors and nurses volunteer their time to implement the program, allowing the majority of resources to be used for books and program support.  Because of our large scale, Reach Out and Read is able to purchase high-quality books in bulk at deep discounts.

Reach Out and Read Works

Reach Out and Read Improves Language and Pre-Reading Skills 
Studies have proven that reading aloud to children is the single most effective tool for developing language and literacy skills. Parents in the Reach Out and Read program are 4 times more likely to read to their children.  And children in the program enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed, with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills, and a six-month developmental edge over their peers. 14 published research studies confirm that Reach Out and Read works. 

Reach Out and Read Has a Wide Reach 
Nationwide, Reach Out and Read reaches 3.9 million children and families through 4,600 locations in every U.S. state.  Few nonprofits operate on the same scale as Reach Out and Read. 

Contact:
Maria Sleeman, Reach Out and Read Coordinator
503.334.1591 x103
maria.sleeman@oraap.org