Senator Patrick Testin visited Noble Community Clinics-Stevens Point Friday, April 11 to read to a group of young children, tour the clinic and see the impact of the Reach Out and Read program.
The Reach Out and Read program was implemented at Noble Community Clinics-Stevens Point in 2023 and is one of four programs within Noble Community Centers and three within Portage County. Noble-Community Clinics-Stevens Point has 50 well-child visits a year for children birth to five years.
This is Reach Out and Read Wisconsin’s third clinic visit with a legislator and first in the Stevens Point area. Governor Tony Evers proposed budget currently includes Reach Out and Read Wisconsin receiving $1 million for the biennium. To help state legislators understand the importance of the program, it has started hosting clinic visits to raise awareness about the program, its impact, and the importance of early literacy and early relational health.
“We are grateful that Senator Testin sees the value in incorporating early literacy in pediatric care,” said DeDe Williams, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin Executive Director. “We need to increase awareness about the importance of early literacy starting at birth and the skill building and confidence that occurs during a well-child visit.”
With 305 participating sites in medical clinics across Wisconsin, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin provides more than 146,300 children and their families in 61 counties with books and resources to empower parents as their child’s first and best teachers. Reach Out and Read Wisconsin is a two-generation intervention built and backed by science and a growing body of academic research. It utilizes the existing medical infrastructure to encourage supportive, educational conversations with parents on the importance of reading aloud and the impact of nurturing relationships.
Senator Testin read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff and Duck on a Bike by David Shannon to five children and their families.
After the read-aloud, parents had the opportunity to share stories of the impact Read Out and Read has had on their families. Senator Testin was then able to tour the clinic and ask questions to Noble Community Clinics-Stevens Point staff.
When asked what he learned at the event, Senator Testin simply said “that we need to get more books into the hands of children.”