Georgia - Reach Out and Read

Reach Out and Read Georgia

Each and every gift, no matter the amount, will help set a child up for success – in school and in life in Georgia.

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Investing in Impact.

With 220 pediatric program sites located in hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices across Georgia, Reach Out and Read equips more than 142,000 young children and their families in 84 counties with free, developmentally appropriate books paired with guidance from their pediatrician. Pediatricians coach parents on how to use shared reading as a powerful tool for connection and learning that fosters strong early literacy and learning routines.

Our evidence-based model is backed by a large and growing body of academic research. We utilize the existing medical infrastructure, to encourage supportive, educational conversations with parents on the importance of reading aloud and the impact on children’s brain development. We are the only early literacy intervention endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. At the heart of the program are pediatricians who integrate literacy guidance into well-child visits. These trusted voices use the power of the pediatric relationship to engage families in supportive conversations about the importance of reading aloud every day and the lasting impact on children’s early brain development, language skills, and school readiness.

Our Program

Reach Out and Read Georgia gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together.

> See Our Program

142,187
children served annually
385,884
well-visit checkups annually

220
program sites

267,766
books distributed annually

More than 200,000 children under the age of 5 lives in poverty in Georgia.

Give the gift of reading aloud to a child in need.

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Supporting Georgia Families

Across Georgia, parents are doing extraordinary work in nurturing their children’s growth and development. Recognizing both the joys and challenges of parenting, we have compiled a list of resources for families in hopes of navigating parenting with a bit more ease and fun along the way!

Resources for families

THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS

We are honored to be supported by an extraordinary community of partners—pediatricians, donors, volunteers, foundations, and corporate champions—whose generosity makes our work possible. Their commitment fuels our ability to serve families across Georgia, and we are deeply grateful for the shared investment in helping children thrive. Below you’ll find the many organizations and individuals whose partnership drives our impact every day.

Foundation Support

Aetna

Anthem / Elevance

American Academy of Pediatrics, Georgia Chapter

Atlanta Braves Foundation

Atlanta Foundation

Bobbie Bailey Foundation

CareSource Georgia

Francis Hollis Brain Foundation Fund

Georgia DECA

Greater Valdosta United Way

Jackson EMC Foundation

James Hyde Porter Charitable Trust

Jesse Parker Williams Foundation

John and Mary Franklin Foundation

Louis Calder Foundation

Luluma Foundation

Pediatric Center for Wellness

Pi Beta Phi Foundation

Pitney Bowes

Primerica

Scott Hudgens Family Foundation

Speedway Children’s Charities

St. Ives Charity Guild

St. Simons Island Literary Guild

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

The Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

The Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia

The Goizueta Foundation

The Imlay Foundation

The James Hyde Porter Charitable Trust Foundation

The James M. Cox Foundation

The Kirby Smart Family Foundation

The Macy’s Foundation

The United Way of Greater Atlanta by way of

The Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation

The Richard C. Munroe Foundation

The United Way of Hall County

The United Way of Northeast Georgia

The Zeist Foundation

Walmart Foundation

Women in Philanthropy

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Government Support

State Government Support

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services

Georgia Department of Public Health

Georgia State Charitable Giving Campaign

State of Georgia (Legislative Appropriation)
County Government Support

Clayton County Community Development

Cobb County ARPA

DeKalb County Government

Fulton County “Funding provided in part by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Department of Community Development CSP Program”

Fulton County ARPA

School District Support

Richmond County Schools

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Corporate Support

Children’s Hospital of Georgia

Conyers’s Pediatrics

Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Alpharetta

Intown Pediatrics

Kaiser Permanente Georgia

Morehouse Pediatrics

Miss Georgia Scholarship Competition

Milestone Pediatrics

NCR Corporation

Northpoint Community Church

Old Fourth Ward Pediatrics

Pediatric Associates of Lawrenceville

Primerica

Pitney Bowes

Primrose Schools

Publix Super Markets Charities

Rivertown Pediatrics

Southern Pediatrics Clinic

Tanner Pediatrics

Upson Regional Medical Center

White Pediatrics

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Individual Support

Individual Support $500+

Audrey Morgan

Andrew Godfrey-Kittle

Betsy Root

Bo Lee

Cami Nail

Claire Wilkiemeyer, MD, FAAP

Dan King

Erik Heiss

Jay Berkelhamer, MD, FAAP

John Upchurch

Jonathan Goodin

Karen Hirsch

Kereese Gayle-Farias, MD, FAAP

Lauren King, MD, FAAP

Lisa Nolan

Lynn Floum

Marguerite Watanabe

Rob Planter, MD, FAAP

Staci Vickers

Terri McFadden, MD, FAAP

Virginia Cochran
Individual Support $25,000+

Stephanie Blank

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In-Kind Donations

All About Books

Barnes and Noble (Mansell, Perimeter, The Avenue Forsyth, Shoppes at River Crossing, The Avenue West Cobb, Riverbend Market, Augusta, Southlake Morrow)

Books A Million (Brunswick, Canton, Dalton, Gainesville, McDonough)

Books for Keeps

Books Warehouse

Collective Goods

DeKalb Summer Reading Club led by the DeKalb Junior League

First Book

Pi Beta Phi (First Book donation)

Mayor’s Summer Reading Club led by GEEARS

Reading is Fundamental

Scholastic

Workman Publishing

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Strategic Partnerships

Atlanta Fulton Family Connection Partnership

Books for Keeps

Brain Trust 4 Babies

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

Black Child Development Institute Atlanta (BCDI)

Building Babies’ Brains

Clayton County Schools Literacy Coalition

Clarke County Library

Cobb County Schools

Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

Child Well-Being led by the United Way of Greater Atlanta

Fayette Family Connection Partnership

Fulton County Library System

Georgia Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics

Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS)

Georgia Public Library System

Get Georgia Reading Campaign

Georgia Coalition for English Language Learners

Infant Young Child Mental Health Coalition

International WeLuvU Foundation

Junior League of Atlanta

Learn4Life

Mayor’s Summer Reading Club

Partners for Equity in Child and Adolescent Health Emory School of Medicine

Read With Malcolm

Resilient Georgia

Richmond County Schools

Science for Georgia

Talk With Me Baby Campaign

The Annie E. Casey Foundation

The Atlanta Speech School

The Georgia Academy of Family Physicians

United Through Reading

Young Men’s Service League, Centennial Chapter

Voices for Georgia’s Children

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Georgia’s ‘Godmother of Literacy’ on a mission to boost pediatric health through books

February 20, 2025

(WABE News) Dr. Terri McFadden says it’s never too early to encourage children to read. She wants parents to not only read to their children, but to also sing and talk to them as well. McFadden is a pediatrician at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding and a professor of pediatrics at Emory University. She […]

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Georgia’s Executive Director, Amy Erickson provides local leadership and sets strategic priorities for all aspects of our program. Erickson focuses on cultivating key strategic and funding partnerships as well as providing direction to our dynamic and growing programmatic and development team.

Georgia’s Medical Director, Dr. Terri McFadden provides further direction to the program and advocates about the importance of fostering a love of reading in the existing healthcare infrastructure thus bridging the intersection between health and education.

Our dedicated Program Director and Managers provide technical support to our partner medical sites across the state to ensure fidelity to the model and our Associate Director of Development pursues funding to support our mission.

Our impact is significant and only made possible through our partnerships with over 1,400 pediatricians, providers, and medical staff across the state who implement our early school readiness and brain development intervention voluntarily to the children and families under their care.