One thousand children’s books were recently donated to a local health clinic by a statewide association of pharmaceutical and medical technology companies to support a reading program for kids.
Members of the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ) delivered the books, for ages 6 months to 5 years, to the North Hudson Community Action Corporation, for the clinic’s local branch of the national Reach Out and Read program.
Started 20 years ago by a group of pediatricians and early childhood educators, Reach Out and Read is dedicated to promoting literary among all children, but especially those from low-income families. Pediatricians will give each child who comes in for a check-up one book and also speak to the parent about the importance of reading aloud to the child.
“Our mission is to make literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric primary care,” said Matt Ferraguto, the director of communications for Reach Out and Read. He added that the program aims to help each child acquire a home library of up to 10 books before starting kindergarten.
“We have found that this is so important for preparing children to succeed in school,” he said.
Though the program targets children before they read on their own, said Ferraguto, studies have shown that children who are read to are more prepared to start school.
“Children who participate in Reach Out and Read show significant development gains in language literacy,” said Ferraguto. “They also score higher on vocabulary tests and school readiness assessments.”
“They are going to relate back to all the positive associations that they have developed with books and reading.” – Matt Ferraguto
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Time spent reading together is also bonding time for the parent and child, said Ferraguto, and this promotes positive feelings toward books for the child.
“When they get to school and have to focus on books, they are going to relate back to all the positive associations that they have developed with books and reading,” said Ferraguto.
The books are carefully selected for each age group and each community.
“We allow the doctors at each site to work together and determine which books are the best for their site,” he said. He added that the program also provides recommendations. He said that in communities such as West New York, doctors may choose to offer bilingual books.
“Some of the parents that we serve speak two languages in the home,” said Ferraguto. He also said that parents who are not comfortable with their English could strengthen their English skills by using the bilingual books. He added that one Reach Out and Read doctor learned Spanish that way.
Reach Out and Read, available in all 50 states, receives funding from the federal and state governments as well as grants from local organizations such as HINJ.
HINJ started working with the program in 2007, and has since pledged $100,000 every year to support already existing sites and help expand Reach Out and Read to new locations within the state.
Reach Out and Read now serves 73,000 kids through its 65 sites in New Jersey.
Amanda Staab can be contacted at astaab@hudsonreporter.com.