Reach Out and Read

1
Reach Out and Read
Your Opportunity to Impact the Cycle of
Poverty Magdalena Aguayo, PA-Ped

2
The Mission of Reach Out and Read
To make literacy promotion a standard part of
pediatric primary care, so that children grow up
with books and a love of reading. When children
share books with someone they love, they learn to
love books.
3
Three Components of Reach Out and Read

• Medical providers encourage parents to read aloud
  and offer anticipatory guidance
• At every health supervision visit, children aged
  6 mos.- 5 years receive a new developmentally-appr
  opriate book
• Volunteers in literacy rich waiting rooms read
  aloud to children

4
The Importance of a Clinic-Based Intervention

• Medical Providers
• Reach most parents and children
• Have repeated one-on-one contact with families
• Provide trusted guidance about childrens
  development
• May serve as the only source of formalized
  support for poor families

5
Reach Out and Read NationallyJuly 2008

• Over 3,700 locations
• 5.5 million books are distributed to over 3.3
  million kids annually
• Over 47,000 healthcare providers have been
  trained in the ROR model

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Reach Out and Read in Colorado

• ROR started in Colorado in 1997
• - Steve Vogler, MD _at_ Denver Health
• - Retired Librarian Ann Logan, MLS
• Over 125 clinics statewide
• Over 700 providers trained
• Over 81,000 children reached in 2008
• Over 135,000 books distributed in 2008

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Benefits of Becoming a Site

• Engage and calm child
• Strengthen relationships
• Build connections
• Help with sleep, toilet training, behavior
• Assess Development
• Waiting Room Enrichment

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How it Will Work at Rose Family

• Books (examples)
• How will the books be handed out?
• Make sure they take it home with them!
• How will Rose track books?
• Literacy Rich Waiting Room
• Books everywhere!

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Reading Aloud and ChildrensLiteracy
Development(National Research Council, 1999)

• Literacy development begins prior to reading
• Early language and literacy experiences form the
  foundation for later reading and language
  competencies

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Children from Low-Income Families

• Children from low-income families are far less
  likely to be read to on a daily basis (National
  Research Council, 1999)

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Childhood Roots of Illiteracy

• KG teacher survey 35 of kids arent ready to
  participate
• 35 of first graders are placed in remedial
  reading programs
• Most arent dyslexic
• Majority remain in slow reading groups throughout
  school
• By 4th grade, school success is contingent on
  reading success
• Failure to read at grade level is a potent
  predictor of students who drop out

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Education Statistics --Local

• Colorado Graduation Rates Class of 2006
• Total 74.1
• White 80.8
• African-American 62.7
• Hispanic 56.7
• Denver 51.7
• Grade 3 CSAP Scores At or Above Proficiency
• Colorado 72
• DPS Total 50
• Hispanic 40
• African-American 47
• White 79

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Reading Aloud and School Readiness(National
Center for Educational Statistics, 1999)
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Poor Literacy Skills in Adults (National Adult
Literacy Study, 1992)

• 66-75 of adults in lowest level reported they
  read well or very well
• Many people are ashamed and hide their lack of
  reading ability. Many NALS-1 readers
• 1. are U.S. born (75)
• 2. are White (50)
• 3. hold a job (40)--presumably higher
  after welfare reform
• 4. finished high school (25)

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Low Literacy and Health

• Implications of low literacy
• 1) probably strongest risk factor
  for poor health status
• 2) less health knowledge
• 3) more hospitalizations
• 4) increased health costs-- estimated at 73
  billion in 1998

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• Recent research shows that ROR is having a direct
  effect on literacy development
• Improving children's ability to express
  themselves verbally.
• Increasing children's listening vocabularies.
• Reducing the number of children with language
  delays that can prevent them from succeeding in
  school.
• Children participating in ROR tend to have
  increased language development in comparison to
  non-participating children
• Some examples of the impact ROR can have
• Changing parents' attitudes about reading aloud.
• Making reading aloud a favorite activity for more
  children.
• Increasing young children's access to picture
  books.
• Making bedtime stories a regular part of more
  children's lives.

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Parental Language and Childrens Language

• Childrens language evolves primarily through
  parent-child interactions
• Repeated interactions stimulate early brain
  development and growth
• By two years of age, childrens language
  correlates with later cognitive performance

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Early Brain Development

• The human brain is responsible for everything we
  do
• Architecture of the brain is shaped by early
• experiences
• 100 billion neurons at birth
• Synapses at birth--50 trillion
• at 1 year--1000 trillion
• at 20 years--500 trillion
• Synapses used most will strengthen and last
• More vulnerable to environmental influence
• (experiences) than previously suspected.

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Early Brain Development

• Repetitive use of cognitive skills a/w with
  reading aloud ensure that the associated brain
  connections persist
• Neurotransmitters that lead to optimal brain
  connections (cortical) are released during warm,
  attuned interactions
• Stress releases cortisol, which promotes
  preferential wiring of more primitive portions of
  brain leading to hyperarousal, decreased self
  control, and decreased attention

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Two 6 month Olds Two Families

• Literacy Rich Environment
• Baby books / Adult books / Appropriate magazines
• Expansive Vocabulary
• Learning about new experiences through books
• Kindergarten
• Expanding Vocab, Grammar
• 4th Grade

• No Books in the home
• Background TV on all time
• Parents do not read
• Kindergarten
• Just learning how to deal with books. Behind on
  language skills / vocabulary.
• 4th Grade

-In American education system 4th grade is where
children no longer learn to read, now read to
learn. -37 of 4th graders in US perform below
basic reading levels. -These children usually
stay behind their other classmates as they
continue through school.
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Talking Points with Parents 6-12 Months

• Developmental Milestones
• Reaches for book
• Puts book in mouth
• Sits in Lap
• Communicates through gestures and early
  utterances
• Begins to understand a few words

• Talking Points with Parents
• Comment while baby is looking at pics shes
  really looking, moving her arms with excitement,
  and making sounds. Even infants love pictures
  books.
• You can make story time part of your babys
  routine, before bed or naps.
• Youre teaching your baby that looking at books
  feels good
• Babies love rhymes and songs

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12-18 Months

• Developmental Milestones
• Holds book
• Turns board pages
• Turns book right-side up
• Points when asked where is the.
• Imitates parents vocal sounds

• Talking Points
• When you ask, Whats that? and name the
  picture in a book, it teaches your baby that
  things have names.
• Some babies will want to be up and around during
  a story. Thats ok.
• Offer stories every day, but let your child be
  in charge of how long you read.
• When your child grabs the book, he is showing a
  healthy drive for independence. Hes not being
  bad.

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18-36 Months

• Developmental Milestones
• Carries book around
• Fills in words of stories
• Recites parts of stories
• Reads to dolls
• Begins to combine words
• By 24-36 months
• Turns paper pages
• Protests when pages are skipped
• May know 320 words
• Requests same book repeatedly

• Talking Points
• If your toddler listens to a story for five
  minutes, thats great! Stories are a good way
  to help toddlers increase their attention
  spans.
• Sometimes you dont have to read whats actually
  written in the book. You can just talk about the
  pictures instead.
• Ask your child to name objects in the book.
• Relate books to her daily experiences.

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3 Years and Up

• Developmental Milestones
• Understands more complex stories
• Anticipates outcomes
• Attempts writing
• Begins recognizing letters
• Asks why questions
• Attempts to use sentences and grammar

• Talking Points
• Ask, What Happened?
• Let your child tell you the story or any story.
  
• Point out letters and sounds.
• Respond/expand on childs questions.
• Get books relating to their life (new baby, going
  to doctors etc)

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Contacts
Reach Out and Read Colorado www.reachoutandreadco
.org Program Coordinator Melissa
Elgersma melissa_at_reachoutandreadco.org 303-6
23-3800 ROR CO Medical Director Steve
Vogler MD stephen.vogler_at_dhha.org
303-436-4260