Reach Out and Read supports disadvantaged preschoolers right here in the United States. It coaches parents on the importance of reading to their children every evening and gives away children’s books, often to homes without a single kid’s book.
Reach Out and Read is astonishingly cost-effective — about $20 per child per year — because it piggybacks on pediatricians who donate their time. The idea is that pediatricians should not only prescribe antibiotics for ear infections, but also prescribe reading to set up the child for a better future.
The idea is that pediatricians should not only prescribe antibiotics for ear infections, but also prescribe reading to set up the child for a better future.
So the organization distributes children’s books to the doctors, who hand them out to low-income families with instructions about how to read to a child. If the parent is illiterate, he or she is advised to turn the pages and tell a story using the pictures.
Parents want the best for their kids but sometimes weren’t read to themselves, don’t have a children’s book in the home and have no idea of the benefits of reading to a child. Randomized trials show that despite its low cost, Reach Out and Read has a big impact in getting kids ready so that they can shine in school.
Read Kristof’s full article at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/30/opinion/sunday/holiday-gift-guide.html.
We are thrilled to have been selected by Nick Kristof of the New York Times as a winner of his inaugural Holiday Impact Prize!
Nick Kristof publishes a “Holiday Giving Guide” column every year, encouraging readers to”give gifts with meaning.” This year, with the support of several readers who have pledged funds, Kristof has established a Holiday Impact Prize which will be awarded annually. In this first year, Reach Out and Read has been selected as one of three runners-up.
The Reach Out and Read team is incredibly honored and humbled to be included as a part of this esteemed group of organizations, and the only U.S.-focused organization on the list.