| Program Overview:
Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a national program, incorporating early
literacy into pediatric primary care for children aged 6 months to
5 years. NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center’s
Pediatric practices started their ROR in 1997.
During pediatric primary care visits, the health care
provider, a doctor or nurse practitioner, offers the child a gift
of a culturally and age appropriate brand new book while giving parents
anticipatory guidance as it relates to literacy and the child’s
developmental stage.
Pivotal to the success of Reach Out and Read is the
involvement of volunteers who read to children in the waiting rooms.
Volunteers receive instruction and training in early childhood development,
the elements of literacy, and strategies for interactive read aloud
activities.
Mission/ Goals:
Reach Out and Read makes literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric
primary care so that children grow up with books and a love of reading.
Our goals are to:
• Provide new, culturally, and developmentally
appropriate books to our young children
• Encourage parents to expose children to books at a very early
age while using developmentally appropriate reading strategies
• Prepare children to achieve their potential before they enter
kindergarten by helping them develop stronger language skills.
• Train our pediatricians yearly and track the consistency of
giving out of books along with anticipatory guidance
Number of people served per year:
More than 10,000 pediatric patients under the age of five receive
over 15,000 books every year, along with targeted counseling from
their pediatric providers.
Outcomes/ Results:
• 92% of residents and faculty are giving books during well
child visits, and 62% percent report giving anticipatory guidance
about reading aloud during these visits.
• Since 1997 CUMC community pediatricians have given out over
100,000 books to 45,000 economically disadvantaged children seen in
the NYP ACN pediatric practices.
Partners:
• Foster Grandparent Program
• Ft. George Community Center
• Literacy Inc
• Literacy Assistance Center
• Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation
• New York Public Libraries
• Reach Out and Read Greater New York Coalition
Contact information:
Program Manager
Emelin Martinez
Phone: (212) 305-0901
Email: emm9016@nyp.org
Faculty Lead/Medical Director
Kimberly Noble, MD, PhD
Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics
Phone: (212) 305-1112
Email: kgn2106@columbia.edu
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