Reach Out and Read: Evidence-Based Strategy to Promote Literacy

Barry Zuckerman, MDProfessor and ChairmanDepartment of PediatricsBoston University School of Medicine/ Boston Medical CenterCEO and ChairmanReach Out and Read

Problem35 % OF AMERICAN CHILDREN ENTER

KINDERGARTEN UNPREPARED TO LEARN, MOST LACKING THE LANGUAGE SKILLS THAT ARE THE PREREQUISITES OF LITERACY ACQUISITION

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF EDUCATION, 1985

Postnatal Growth of the Human Brain Not only size but increased connections

0200400600800

100012001400

Brain weight (g)

Age

20 weeksprenatalBirth

6 months

Adult

Hart & Risley, T.R. (1995)

In a typical hour, the average child would hear:

Hour Week

Welfare: 616 words 61,000 words

Working class: 1,251 words 125,000 words

Professional: 2,153 words 215,000 words

Vocabulary at age 3:

Professional: 1100 wordsWorking class: 700 wordsWelfare: 500 words

Benefits of Reading Aloud and School Readiness(National Center for Educational Statistics, 1999)

01020304050607080

Perc

ent o

f chi

ldre

n

Recognizeall letters

Count to 20 Write name Pretend toread/recite a

story

Have master3-4 skills

Less than 3 times3 times or more

Benefits of Reading Aloud Reading aloud to children:

– Promoting physical contact and positive interaction

– Stimulates imagination– Fosters language development– Promotes reading skills– Motivates children to love books– Enhances attention span – Encourages memory

The Mission of Reach Out and Read

To make literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric primary care, so that children grow up with books and a love of reading so they are ready to learn when they enter school.

Three Components of Reach Out and Read Medical providers encourage parents to

read aloud and offer anticipatory guidance

At every health supervision visit, a child aged 6 mos.- 5 years receives a new developmentally-appropriate book

Community linkages: volunteer readers, libraries

Percent of Parents Engaging inFrequent Book Sharing(Sanders et al., 2000)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Perc

enta

ge o

f pa

rent

s

Under 12 months Over 12 monthsChildren's age

InterventionComparison

Frequency of Reading Aloud (High et. al., 2000)

0

2

4

6

Num

ber o

f day

s an

d ni

ghts

pe

r wee

k

Days/week Nights/week

InterventionControl

Change in Parent-ChildBook Sharing(High et. al., 2000)

-1

0

1

2

Num

ber o

f day

s an

d ni

ghts

per w

eek

Days/week Nights/week

InterventionControl

Children’s Expressive andReceptive Language Competencies(Mendelsohn et al., 2001)

7476788082848688909294

Voca

bula

ry s

core

s

Receptive language Expressive language

InterventionComparison

Lessons from Katrina: Helping Children Cope with Significant Stress

1. Attention of parent2. Physical closeness3. Routines