Reach Out and Read

“The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.”
—The Commission on Reading, Becoming a Nation of Readers

Pediatrics Northwest is pleased to be an ongoing partner with the national award-winning Reach Out and Read program. Reach Out and Read makes books part of a healthy childhood and a standard part of pediatric care. Through this program, children grow up with books and develop a love of reading.

New books to take home

At every well-child exam from the age of 6 months to 5 years, our patients receive a new, developmentally-appropriate children’s book to take home and keep. In fact, we raise funds for Reach Out and Read and distribute more than 12,000 books annually to our families.

Support Reach Out and Read

Our Reach Out and Read program is funded by the 501(c)(3) charitable organization, Friends of Pediatrics Northwest. Donations are appreciated and can be made as a one-time gift or on a monthly recurring basis. Every $3 given purchases 1 book, and every little bit makes a difference!

Practical application

Our doctors and nurse practitioners encourage parents to read aloud with their children. We also offer valuable tips to make the reading experience enjoyable and successful. In addition, we have many volunteers who come to our clinics to read aloud and play with our children while they wait to be seen, enhancing their reading experience.

Reach Out and Read is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which believes that promoting the love of books and reading is vital to a pediatric practice.

The science behind Reach Out and Read

Reach Out and Read is working toward the day when all children enter kindergarten supported by highly engaged parents, ready to learn, and prepared to excel. Did you know? 

• Fewer than half (48 percent) of young children in the United States are read to daily.
• By age 3, children from lower-income families have heard roughly 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers.
• Families living in poverty often lack the money to buy new books, as well as access to libraries.
• Participating medical providers offer the Reach Out and Read intervention to all children at each well-child visit from 6 months through 5 years of age. Most children see their pediatrician at least 10 times during this period.

View more science behind Reach Out and Read on their website.