Tried and True
Reach Out and Read is built on and backed by science.
Reach Out and Read’s effectiveness is consistently supported by independent, peer-reviewed research. Studies show that our model has a significant effect on parental behavior and attitudes toward reading aloud and that children who participate in our program demonstrate higher language scores. Our impact has been documented in ethnically and economically diverse families throughout the nation.
Evidence that we make a difference in children’s lives:
Reach Out and Read Works.
In participating families, more that 20 studies show:
The body of independent, peer-reviewed, and published research supporting the efficacy of the Reach Out and Read model is more extensive than for any other psychosocial intervention in general pediatrics.
Studies show that our two-generational approach improves parental attitudes and practices.
In a cohort of 440 Latino families, Dr. Jimenez et al evaluated the impact of separate components of the Reach Out and Read model — the gift of the book, anticipatory guidance, and modeling — on the quantity, diversity, and quality of book reading between parents and infants. The findings showed that, while Reach Out and Read cannot be effectively delivered without the book, the gift of the book alone had no significant impact on the outcomes — significant impact was found only when the book is given with anticipatory guidance and especially with modeling.
In a study with more than 100,000 responses, new, peer-reviewed research shows that parents/caregivers exposed to the Reach Out and Read program are significantly more likely to read with their infants and young children every day and to use books to better engage with their young children, starting at infancy.
Parents whose children (< 3 years) had received books and educational materials during well-child visits were more likely than parents in a control group to report that they shared books with their children, and to cite sharing books as a favorite activity or a child’s favorite activity.
In a multicenter study, families exposed to Reach Out and Read were more likely to report reading aloud at bedtime, to read aloud three or more days per week, mention reading aloud as a favorite parenting activity, and own 10 or more children’s books.
Parents who had received a book as part of Reach Out and Read were more likely to report reading books with their children, or to say that reading was a favorite activity. The benefits of Reach Out and Read were larger for families receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
Parents exposed to Reach Out and Read four or more times read to their children more frequently than those with less exposure.
In a study using direct observation of children’s homes, parents were more likely to read aloud to their children and enjoy reading together when their families had more encounters with the Reach Out and Read program.
English- and non-English-speaking families who participated in the Reach Out and Read model increased their weekly bedtime reading, and more parents reported reading as their own or their child’s favorite activity. For non-English-speaking families the number of children’s books in the home also increased as a result of the Reach Out and Read model.
Hispanic parents participating in Reach Out and Read were more likely to report reading to their children compared to other parents. When parents read more frequently to their children, they were also more likely to read frequently themselves.
Hispanic parents whose children had received bilingual books, educational materials, and literacy-promoting anticipatory guidance were more likely to report reading books with their child at least three days a week (66% vs. 24%) and report that reading books was one of their three favorite things to do with their child (43% vs. 13%) than parents in a control group. Parents participating in the Reach Out and Read model intervention also tended to have more books in the home (for children and adults).
A study comparing the evidence supporting the impact of three “book giveaway” programs, Reach Out and Read, Dolly Parton Imagination Library and Bookstart, on the home literacy environment and children’s literacy-related behavior and skills. The report provides strong evidence that the greatest impact requires a 2-generational approach that both supports the parents’ skills and provides the book for the child.
Studies show the Reach Out and Read program improves early language development
High-risk urban families participating in Reach Out and Read read more frequently to their children. Children exposed to Reach Out and Read had higher receptive language scores (mean: 94.5 vs. 84.8) and expressive language scores (mean: 84.3 vs. 81.6). Increased exposure to Reach Out and Read led to larger increases in language scores (receptive and expressive).
Families participating in the Reach Out and Read model read to their children more often (4.3 vs. 3.8 days/week), and their toddlers’ receptive and expressive vocabulary scores were higher, even when adjusting for parental education, foreign-born status, and language proficiency.
Among children aged 33 months to 39 months attending a well-child clinic in Louisville, KY, expressive and receptive language scores were significantly associated with both the number of Reach Out and Read-enhanced well-child visits they had attended, and with the number of books purchased for them by their parents. This finding supports a “dose effect” for the Reach Out and Read intervention—the more Reach Out and Read, the higher the score.
Children participating in Reach Out and Read had higher receptive vocabulary scores (mean: 81.5 vs. 74.3). They also had higher scores on the Home Literacy Orientation (measured reading to child and number of books in the home) than children not participating in Reach Out and Read.
This study showed that a small sample of Latino children who participated in Reach Out and Read from six months of age had average or above average literacy skills by the end of kindergarten, as well as high-quality home literacy environments.
Studies show that Reach Out and Read contributes to a stronger clinic culture, improved patient relationships, and more effective healthcare:
This publication from the Reach Out and Read LitNet survey of resident training practices associated with the implementation of our program. The results show that clinicians who implement Reach Out and Read report a positive impact on patients, families, and their own satisfaction and methods in practice.
This study from Oklahoma’s medical champion, Marny Dunlap, MD describes how federal Health Services Initiative funding to expand Reach Out and Read to new clinics was established in Oklahoma and demonstrates that this significantly increased the rate of developmental screening in well-child visits for children between 9 and 36 months (by approx. 40%) and significantly increased the rate of attendance at well-child visits for children between 6 months and 5 years (by approx. 40%.)
A new study evaluated the effect of Reach Out and Read on clinic values and attitudes and found that implementation of Reach Out and Read enhanced clinic morale, increased provider satisfaction, and improved patient-clinician relationships.
Caretakers who are introduced to Reach Out and Read demonstrate a significant increase in compliance with Well-Child Visits (WCV), with the largest differences found among Latino families and children of less-educated families.
A pilot study revealing that adolescent mothers receiving Reach Out and Read increased shared book reading and decreased maternal depression.
Parents participating in Reach Out and Read were more likely to rate their child’s pediatrician as helpful than those not participating. Pediatricians in the Reach Out and Read group were more likely to rate parents as receptive than those in the non-Reach Out and Read group. Mothers in the Reach Out and Read group were two times more likely to report enjoyment in reading together with their child than those in the non-Reach Out and Read group.
Successful implementation of the Reach Out and Read program was related to the culture of the clinic. Staff at clinics that struggled to implement Reach Out and Read found their jobs burdensome and reported lacks in communication. Staff at successful Reach Out and Read sites worked as a team and expressed strong commitments to their communities.
This qualitative study examined the thank-you notes sent to staff at a Reach Out and Read clinic by Hispanic families. Families expressed thanks for the books received, as well as the literacy advice given by doctors and nurses. Many families believed that the books and advice promoted the habit of reading and demonstrated respect the staff held for the families and their children.
We are committed to evaluating and improving our model through additional, ongoing research efforts.