Reach Out and Read Recieves Grant from Middletown Rotary Club

From Reach Out and Read:

An unconventional prescription by pediatricians and Family Physicians could be a child's best medicine.

MIDDLETOWN, CT – Reach Out and Read has been awarded a $1,000 donation by the Middletown Rotary Club to foster early literacy skills and parental engagement in local children. The Middletown Rotary Club’s second donation to Reach Out and Read will provide support for Reach Out and Read’s two programs in Middletown. Among other things, the donation will help to provide new, developmentally-appropriate books and early literacy guidance during regular pediatric checkups to the 400 children and families served by Reach Out and Read in Middletown.

The Middletown Rotary Club has a long history of supporting literacy focused programs and has won state wide recognition by Rotary District 7980. President Bruce Driska said "Whether through our One Book program, distributing dictionaries in schools, local scholarships or our family literacy workshops, we are especially proud of the work we've done to raise literacy proficiency in our communities", adding "this effort is especially impressive because it addresses literacy development at the earliest stages.”

Embedded within the existing healthcare system, Reach Out and Read’s model includes providing a new, age-appropriate book for each child to take home at every well-child visit from 6 months through 5 years. Along with the free book for every child, medical providers offer guidance to parents about the importance of reading aloud with their children every day starting at the newborn visit. With medical providers delivering the program, Reach Out and Read is uniquely positioned to reach nearly all children and their parents as they visit their doctor. The organization focuses on children growing up in low-income families as research shows they are at the highest risk for reading failure.

“We are so incredibly grateful to the Middletown Rotary for their continued support of our critical early literacy intervention to the children and families who need us most in Middletown. It is wonderful to work with the Rotary as they share our vision and passion for literacy in children,” said Reach Out and Read Connecticut Executive Director Christine Garber. “Research shows that if you intervene in the first five years of life and partner with parents, you can dramatically improve the early literacy skills of a child, putting them on the track for success in school and in life. Childhood development experts tell us that the most important thing that parents can do to give their children a foundation for success is to read aloud to them every day. “

At a cost of only $100 per child for the full five years, over 300 Reach Out and Read doctors and nurses distribute 80,000 new books to 40,000 children and their families annually in Connecticut, through 72 clinical locations. Nationally, the organization distributes 6.5 million books to nearly 4.5 million children and their families annually, including 1 in 5 low-income families in the U.S.

The Reach Out and Read model is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the program has one of the strongest records of research support of any primary care intervention. Families served by Reach Out and Read read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills, better prepared to achieve their full potential. For more information on Reach Out and Read in Connecticut, to get involved, or to make a tax deductible donation, visit their website here.

Reach Out and Read shares this video:

The Middletown Rotary Club maintains its membership from those who live and/or work in Middletown as well as the surrounding towns of Cromwell, Portland, Durham, Middlefield and Higganum. Members of the Rotary Club of Middletown are business, social, and civic leaders who make a positive difference in their community and in the world through humanitarian service, education, high ethics, and goodwill.

The Middletown Rotary club meets every Tuesday at 12:15 at First & Last Restaurant for lunch and guest presentations. For more information, contact Joe Marino at 860.342.2650 or via email at joe@jdmarinolaw.com.