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The Reporter: December 1997, Vol.8, No.5
New Program Targets Literacy
A national program, Reach Out and Read, has become part of a local campaign spearheaded by Dr. Mary McCord, P&S assistant professor of clinical pediatrics. The program, which started in Boston, promotes literacy by distributing books to children through pediatrician offices. The Ambulatory Care Network Corporation (ACNC) sites will participate in the program.
"Literacy is a developmental phenomenon just like language," says Dr. McCord. "Reading aloud to kids has been shown to have a profound impact on kids' literacy and language development." Dr. McCord says many of her patients through the ACNC enter kindergarten at a disadvantage because they have not been read to as preschoolers. "As pediatricians, we develop a close, long-term relationship with families of young children. We may be in a position to really influence literacy development in young children."
The program works with pediatricians to give parents free books at each of the well-child visits during the first five years of a child' s life. The pediatricians encourage the parents to read the books to their children or even tell their own stories about the pictures. As part of the program, ACNC will recruit high school students and senior volunteers to read in waiting rooms. That is to give parents ideas for how to read to their children as well as to engage the kids themselves."We want volunteers to read throughout the day at all four community pediatric practices," says Dr. McCord. "We ultimately could accommodate up to a hundred volunteers." She says the program will initially begin at two ACNC sites this month, with the goal of expanding into all four eventually."If our dream comes true and we are able to give a book to every child at every well-child visit from age 6 months to 5 years at all our practice sites, we will give away 15,000 to 20,000 books a year, each with a brief pitch from the doctor to the parent about the importance of reading to young children."
To date, this program has received a one-time grant from the Reach Out and Read program to purchase books, but additional funding is still needed. Also, the program will be evaluated by the School of Public Health to measure its effectiveness. A couple of other New York City hospitals have similar, but smaller, programs, says Dr. McCord, but this is the first program in Northern Manhattan.
More information about Reach Out and Read is available by calling 305-6359 (ext. 66359). Volunteers may call Andres Nieto, director of CPMC volunteers, at 305-5904 (ext. 65904 ).