Reach Out and Read (ROaR) is a nation-wide program that aims to prepare America's youngest and most at-risk children to succeed in school by partnering with physicians to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. Studies show that the following concerning findings which have provided the background for the development of ROaR:
-34% of kids enter school lacking the basic language skills that they need in order to learn to read
-20% of U.S. workers are functionally illiterate
-2/3 of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare (and 78% of kids who cannot read proficiently in the 4th grade will never catch up)
-over 70% of inmates in America's prisons cannot read above a 4th grade level
-of 16-19 year old girls at the poverty level and below, those with reading skills below average are 6 times more likely to have out of wedlock children than their reading counterparts
-59% of kids from families > 400% of the federal poverty level are read to daily compared with only 36% of those from families below the poverty level, and only 30% of children from households where the primary language is not English are read to daily compared to 51% in households where the primary language is English.
-Children from low-income families hear as many as 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers before age 3 years (and the more words parents use when speaking to babies as young as 8 months, the greater the size of the child's vocabulary at age 3 years)
-61% of low-income children have NO children's books in their homes.
-34% of kids enter school lacking the basic language skills that they need in order to learn to read
-20% of U.S. workers are functionally illiterate
-2/3 of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare (and 78% of kids who cannot read proficiently in the 4th grade will never catch up)
-over 70% of inmates in America's prisons cannot read above a 4th grade level
-of 16-19 year old girls at the poverty level and below, those with reading skills below average are 6 times more likely to have out of wedlock children than their reading counterparts
-59% of kids from families > 400% of the federal poverty level are read to daily compared with only 36% of those from families below the poverty level, and only 30% of children from households where the primary language is not English are read to daily compared to 51% in households where the primary language is English.
-Children from low-income families hear as many as 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers before age 3 years (and the more words parents use when speaking to babies as young as 8 months, the greater the size of the child's vocabulary at age 3 years)
-61% of low-income children have NO children's books in their homes.
ROaR is an evidence-based and highly effective program that has a multi-pronged approach including anticipatory guidance about reading allowed in an interactive manner, provided as an integral part of health supervision visits (well child checks) along with modeling and observation of parent-child book use; and developmentally and culturally appropriate books given by the physician at each health supervision visit from 6 months to 5 years of age (for a total of 9-10 books) so that parents from all socioeconomic backgrounds have the tools to promote early literacy in their children. Findings from 14 published, peer-reviewed studies clearly demonstrate that ROaR works, as evidenced by the following examples: Children served by ROaR have a 6 month developmental gain in preschool alone, and the advance is lasting; children served by ROaR score significantly higher on receptive and expressive vocabulary tests (with a dose-response effect); and children served by ROaR are significantly more likely to report reading as a favorite activity and are 4 times more likely to have parents who read to them regularly.
Unfortunately, while the program was previously largely funded by the federal and state governments, in recent years funding has been virtually eliminated, and even for our most vulnerable little patients, we are no longer able to consistently offer the ROaR program at University Pediatric Clinic (Clinic 6). UPC/Clinic 6 is located inside of University Hospital, and is a small general pediatrics clinic dedicated to the health and well-being of infants and children from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds. We believe that ALL children - whether they are doctors' kids, Burmese refugees, or children with special needs - deserve every opportunity to meet their greatest potential, and early childhood literacy is one gift towards that end that, with your help, we can provide. Your generous support as we seek to rebuild and render sustainable our clinic's ROaR program is greatly appreciated!
Currently there is a Donation Box in the Union Student Lobby. Please take a moment and stop by and help this wonderful cause!
Unfortunately, while the program was previously largely funded by the federal and state governments, in recent years funding has been virtually eliminated, and even for our most vulnerable little patients, we are no longer able to consistently offer the ROaR program at University Pediatric Clinic (Clinic 6). UPC/Clinic 6 is located inside of University Hospital, and is a small general pediatrics clinic dedicated to the health and well-being of infants and children from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds. We believe that ALL children - whether they are doctors' kids, Burmese refugees, or children with special needs - deserve every opportunity to meet their greatest potential, and early childhood literacy is one gift towards that end that, with your help, we can provide. Your generous support as we seek to rebuild and render sustainable our clinic's ROaR program is greatly appreciated!
Currently there is a Donation Box in the Union Student Lobby. Please take a moment and stop by and help this wonderful cause!