The first five years only happen once.
Let's make them count for every child in Pennsylvania.
Reach Out and Read Pennsylvania
Reach Out and Read Pennsylvania
Connection before intervention.
That’s the difference.
Reach Out and Read Pennsylvania meets families during trusted pediatric visits — helping children arrive at school healthy, confident, and ready to learn.
What this means for Pennsylvania:
-
-
- More families reading together
- Stronger early language development
- Equitable statewide reach across ZIP codes and income levels
- Greater emotional resilience and parent-child connection
- Stronger clinician-family relationships
-
Every story shared today builds a stronger tomorrow.
232,949
Children Served
Children Served
545,038
Well-Child Visits
Well-Child Visits
445,004
Books Distributed
Books Distributed
Annual data for 2025
Reach Out and Read Pennsylvania brings books, guidance, and connection into pediatric care — helping families build strong relationships and early learning from the very start.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Pennsylvania’s youngest children can’t wait.
-
-
- The first five years shape brain development, language, and lifelong health.
- Only 42.3% of parents read to their babies daily.
- 51% of third graders are below basic reading level.
- Without early support, small gaps become lasting barriers.
-
Early literacy isn’t a luxury — it’s a lifeline.
“As a Reach Out and Read pediatrician for almost 30 years, I have seen the power of the program firsthand. I have the privilege of walking into the exam room during well-child visits to recommend and model reading together. The child then leaves with a brand new beautiful book for the family to share at home. We now know that the bond formed through shared reading is the foundation of a child’s Early Relational Health. It’s a critical force in a child’s well-being and serves as a protective factor against adverse experiences and stress.”
Dr. Trude Haecker, State Medical Director
Reach Out and Read Pennsylvania
What Makes Reach Out and Read Pennsylvania Different?
PROVEN TO WORK
Backed by 30+ years of research improving language, literacy, and bonding
Designed for Scale and Equity
Integrated into pediatric care — reaching nearly every child
A Smart Investment
Low-cost, high-impact model with lifelong returns
HOW IT WORKS
Books + bonding = brighter futures
From infancy to age 5:
-
-
-
- Guided by clinicians
Parents receive coaching on language, bonding, and brain development. - Books at every well-child visit
Every child receives a free, developmentally appropriate book. - Reading together at home
Families build habits that strengthen connection and early learning.
- Guided by clinicians
-
-
Simple. Evidence-based. Transformative.
Want to hear from experts? Watch national board members and pediatricians from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia break down how Reach Out and Read works — and why it matters for every child and family we serve.
Get Involved
The first five years only happen once — and it takes all of us to make them count.
Partner With Us
Join health care providers and organizations building stronger communities.
“Our favorite Reach Out and Read experience is when staff are able to give children a book while also teaching parents about the importance of literacy. It’s rewarding to see how a simple book can bring excitement to a visit and reinforce learning beyond the exam room.”
Site Coordinator, Lancaster County
Meet the Team
Steve Wilmot, MSW
Executive Director
Steve Wilmot joined Reach Out and Read in September 2025 as the inaugural Executive Director of the Pennsylvania affiliates. In this role, he provides strategic leadership and oversight for more than 270 program sites across the state, partnering closely with Program Managers to ensure quality, fidelity, and sustainability while driving growth through fundraising and community engagement.
Steve brings extensive leadership experience in pediatric health systems. Prior to joining Reach Out and Read, he served as Associate Vice President for the Primary Care service line at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where Reach Out and Read was embedded in 22 practices. His work at CHOP deepened his conviction in the program’s power: he witnessed firsthand the joy and trust created when clinicians offered families brand-new books during well visits, sparking early language development and stronger parent-child connections.
A graduate of West Chester University (BSW) and the University of Pennsylvania (MSW), Steve is also an adjunct faculty member at Penn’s School of Social Policy and Practice, where he teaches future leaders in social work and policy.
Passionate about expanding literacy and equity across Pennsylvania, Steve is excited to strengthen partnerships, champion innovation, and support families statewide. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking in the northeastern mountains of Pennsylvania, relaxing at his favorite beach in Cape May, NJ, and lending his voice to radio commercials and telephone messaging systems.
Close window 
Kirsten Rogers
Program Manager
Kirsten started with Reach Out and Read in 1999 at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and in 2002 at Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia in Southeastern Pennsylvania. When Reach Out and Read Pennsylvania launched in 2025, Kirsten joined the new statewide affiliate and team. Since 2002, Kirsten provides technical assistance and support, which includes fundraising, budgeting, program data and reporting, quality assurance, and partnership development and sustainability, to all Reach Out and Read sites located in Southeastern Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties).
Prior to Reach Out and Read, Ms. Rogers worked as a certified child life specialist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Philadelphia (PA) and The Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan (NY) and project assistant in venture capital and merchant banking at Morgan Stanley in Manhattan (NY).
Close window
Steve Wilmot, MSW
Executive Director
Kirsten Rogers
Program Manager
Samantha Cortes, M.Ed
Program Manager
Samantha joined Reach Out and Read in 2023 and brought Reach Out and Read to over 100 sites as the Northeast affiliate’s Expansion Specialist before joining the Pennsylvania affiliate team in 2025 as their Western PA Program Manager. As a member of the newly formed Pennsylvania affiliate, she supports sites across Western and Central PA in delivering Reach Out and Read to fidelity, while also advocating for Reach Out and Read to support growth across the Commonwealth.
Originally from Erie, PA and currently based out of Pittsburgh, Samantha received her B.S in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and her M.Ed in Early Childhood Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has spent her career specializing in early childhood; previously serving as a teacher, working in Child Life, and providing early literacy programming in Western New York prior to joining Reach Out and Read. She believes that caregivers are children’s first and best teachers and is passionate about giving parents and caregivers tools to make the most of their children’s earliest years.
Outside of work, Samantha is a proud Rescue Dog mom and an avid reader herself. She loves spending time outside, exploring new places to camp and hike, and cheering on her Pittsburgh Pirates. Ask her about Morrigan’s latest shenanigans or her current crochet project, and share your favorite reads to add to her ever-growing TBR!
Close window
Trude Haecker, MD, FAAP
Medical Director
Trude Haecker, M.D., FAAP, is the Medical Director of Reach Out and Read Pennsylvania since the fall of 2025. She is also the Medical Director of CHOP’s Reach Out and Read Program and had been the Medical Director of Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia since the Affiliate’s establishment in October 2002. Dr Haecker serves on the Reach Out and Read National Board of Directors and was Board Chair from 2024 through 2025.
Dr Haecker was the former Medical Director of Global Patient Services at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), overseeing medical care for CHOP’s international patients and coordinating with faculty, referring physicians and patients to provide comprehensive pediatric healthcare while families are here in the US. Dr. Haecker has more than 30 years of experience as a physician at CHOP and worked to establish CHOP’s primary care center network. A general pediatrician, well versed in the developmental issues of young children, Dr. Haecker first brought Reach Out and Read to CHOP in 1996. Her outpatient practice focused on children with chronic medical conditions, developmental delays, and care coordination. She has written about the medical care and developmental needs of young children at risk and those in foster care. Dr. Haecker was the past President of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and continues to be active in the work of the Chapter.
Close window
Samantha Cortes, M.Ed
Program Manager
Trude Haecker, MD, FAAP
Medical Director
One book. One moment.
One child at a time — changing the future of Pennsylvania.