“A fundamental test for our country is whether or not we can make early learning available and real to all kids and families,” said Chelsea Clinton during her recent visit to Milwaukee to dedicate the Clinton Foundation’s, Too Small to Fail initiative, and the City of Milwaukee first-ever “Family Read, Play & Learn” space with Milwaukee Family Court. After the dedication, Ms. Clinton and members of the Too Small to Fail organization toured the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, a busy Reach Out and Read site.
Reach Out and Read Wisconsin pediatrician, Emilia Arana, M.D., hosted a tour of the clinic along with Reach Out and Read’s Wisconsin Medical Director, Dipesh, Navsaria, M.D. After the tour, Ms. Clinton, mother of three and avid reader, made herself comfortable in the waiting room and read DJ’s Busy Day to a group of children and their parents. Her love of reading and passion for early literacy was something she talked about with the families and clinic staff.
Too Small to Fail donated 25,000 copies of their bilingual book, titled DJ’s Busy Day, to Reach Out and Read Wisconsin. This book distribution celebrates the sixth year of a national partnership between Reach Out and Read, Too Small to Fail, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to promote the importance of talking, reading, and singing with children from birth through primary pediatric care settings—which was originally announced in conjunction with the release of the AAP’s early literacy policy statement in 2014.