Reach Out and Read
Reach Out and Read Program Overview
Reach Out and Read® is a national program which prepares America’s youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encouraging families to read together. This early-literacy program focuses on children from birth – 5 years old, trains and supports medical providers who give books to children at well-child exams, and provides advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud. Reach Out and Read® builds on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop essential early literacy skills in young children via the existing healthcare infrastructure.
During regular pediatric check-ups, pediatricians, family physicians and nurse practitioners give new, developmentally-appropriate books to children and advise parents about the importance of reading aloud every day with their children. As a result of this evidence-based intervention, parents learn new ways to stimulate their child’s literacy development, have more books in their home, and read to their children more often. Parents are supported as their child’s first and most important teachers, and children grow up to become readers.
Reach Out and Read Orange County
AAP-OC is the regional coordinator of Reach Out and Read in Orange County. Our program currently assists 66 pediatric clinics in the implementation of Reach Out and Read in their practices.
Orange County’s 56 clinical sites serve over 142,000 children from Birth – 5 years of age at these sites annually, with over 89% of them being from low-income families. Low book supply continues to be the main concern for clinics nationwide.
In 2023-2024, there were 67,437 books that were distributed to children.
Participate in Reach Out and Read Orange County
Learn about about Reach Out and Read®‘s impact in this 2023 Annual Report.
To learn how to become a Reach Out and Read® site, read here. Become a Reach Out and Read Orange County site by applying here.
For those Reach Out and Read® clinicians that are also AAP-OC Chapter members, both technical and book support are a benefit. If you are not already an AAP-OC Chapter member, please consider joining today.
The Evidence
The first five years of life offer a critical window for learning, with rapid brain development that does not occur at any other time. Many children, especially from low-income families, are not read to from birth. Children who grow up without sufficient exposure to language arrive at school without basic literacy skills, and often struggle with reading in early grades. Each year, Reach Out and Read® serves 4 million children across all 50 states, focusing on those in low-income families.
Reach Out and Read® Works.
In participating families, more than 20 studies show:
- Parents are 2.5X more likely to read with their infants, toddlers and preschoolers and have books in the home.
- Parents are 2X more likely to read with their children three or more times per week.
- Children’s language development is improved by 3-6 months.
- Children’s language ability improves with increased exposure to Reach Out and Read®.
- Clinic culture and clinician well-being is improved.
Support Reach Out and Read Orange County
Your donation to Reach Out and Read Orange County will help us support our early literacy champions and expand the program across the county. Your generous contribution will go to purchase new children’s books, educational resources for parents, and other resources to support and enhance early literacy programming in Orange County.
- $100 will provide 40 brand new, developmentally-appropriate children’s books (birth – 5 years)
- $250 will provide 83 brand new, developmentally-appropriate children’s books (birth – 5 years)
- $500 will provide books for 12 children at every Reach Out and Read eligible well-child visit (birth – 5 years = 14 books per child)
- $1,000 will provide books for a mid-size pediatric practice for 6 months or a small pediatric practice for 1 year
Host a Book Drive
There are multiple ways to support Reach Out and Read, Orange County. Host a local book drive in your community, school, church, or place of employment by collecting new and gently-used books which will go directly to one of the many Reach Out and Read Orange County pediatric clinics. Below are resources to get you started. For questions, speak to Reach Out and Read Orange County Coordinator, Emma Course at (949) 752-2787.
Book Drive Fundraiser Letter
School Book Drive Flyer
Book Organization Guidelines
Media
Connect with us on social media, for the most current Reach Out and Read Orange County information.
Pediatrician Resources
Here are some helpful resources for you to be able to talk to parents about the importance of reading aloud to their child. Talking points for physician to parent, and also a tip sheet to give the parent hints on what they should be seeing with their child and how to help them.
Parent’s Guide
Talking with Parents About Books
Monkey Family Reading Tips: English | Spanish
Developmental Disabilities Literacy Promotion Guide
Tips for Parents on How Books Help Children Cope with Stress
The Moodsters First Aid for Feelings: A Workbook to Help Kids Cope During the Coronavirus Pandemic English | Spanish
Resources for Your Office to Encourage Donations of New and Gently-Used Books
Book Supply by Age Descriptions
Books Needed Flyer – Kids
Books Needed Flyer – Staff Donation
Guidelines for Accepting Book Donations
Thank You Flyer
Waiting Room Flyer
For questions, contact our Reach Out and Read Orange County Coordinator, Emma Course at (949) 752-2787.
Reading Tips
Books Build Better Brains
To see the complete list of reading tips, click here
Download our list of recommended children’s books.
Helpful Video for Parent when Reading Aloud with their Children:
Three Core Concepts in Early Development: Serve & Return Interaction Shapes Brain Circuitry
Video from Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child
Early Literacy Resources:
Attendance at Well-Child Visits After Reach Out and Read
Book Sharing: In-home Strategy to Advance Early Child Development Globally
Emerging Research Further Demonstrates Impact of Reach Out and Read
Encouraging Parent–Child Book Sharing: Potential Additive Benefits of Literacy Promotion in Health Care and the Community
Literacy Promotion Training and Implementation in Residency Continuity Clinics
GetReadytoRead.org – Free Early Learning Resources
Developmental Milestones
Reach Out and Read’s well-known chart, Milestones of Early Literacy Development chart in English and Spanish, offers information – in an easy-to-read grid – on the developmental stages (both motor and cognitive) that lay the foundation for learning to read. Targeted for newborns through 5 years, the Milestones include tips and guidance for healthcare providers, parents, and caregivers on choosing books and reading aloud to children at different ages.
Reach Out and Read Orange County Collaborative Partners
Special Thanks to Our Funding Partners
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Participating Clinic Sites
AltaMed Health Services – Anaheim
Altamed Health Services – Bristol St., Santa Ana
AltaMed Health Services – El Modena Clinic
AltaMed Health Services – Garden Grove
AltaMed Health Services – Huntington Beach
AltaMed Health Services – Main St., Santa Ana
Blanca Hampton, MD
Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders
CHOC Boys & Girls Club Clinic
CHOC Children’s – Orange Clinic
CHOC Clinica para Niños
CHOC Garden Grove Health Center
CHOC/UCI High Risk Infant Follow-Up Clinic
Dr2Kids
Friends of Family Health Center, La Habra
Friends of Family Health Center, Tustin
Health 4 Kidz Pediatrics
Hoag Medical Group Huntington Beach
Hurtt Family Health Clinic, OC Rescue Mission
Hurtt Family Health Clinic #2, Santa Ana
Hurtt Family Health Clinic #3, Tustin
K.B. Pediatrics
KCS Health Center, Buena Park
KCS Health Center #2, Irvine
Livingstone Community Health Center, Stanton
Livingstone Community Health Center #2, Fullerton
Melissa Manalo, MD
Mission Heritage Medical Group
Mohan Kumaratne, MD
New Light Medical Group
Nhan Hoa Comprehensive Health Care Clinic
Orange County Health Care Agency
Pediatric & Adult Medicine
Santiago Pediatrics
Si2-Kids Care
Sierra Health Center
South Coast Pediatrics #1-Bristol
South Coast Pediatrics #2-Spurgeon
South Coast Pediatrics #3-Ball Rd.
Southern Orange County Pediatrics Association (SOCPA), Ladera Ranch
Southern Orange County Pediatrics Association (SOCPA), Lake Forest
Southern Orange County Pediatrics Association (SOCPA), Rancho Santa Margarita
St. Joseph’s Heritage Medical Group – Santa Ana
St. Joseph’s Heritage Medical Group #2, Orange
St. Jude’s Neighborhood Health Center, Fullerton
St. Jude’s Neighborhood Health Center – Topaz Clinic
St. Jude’s Neighborhood Health Center – Ponderosa Clinic, Anaheim
St. Jude’s Neighborhood Health Center – La Amistad, Orange
Sunshine Kids Medical Group
Total Pediatrics Care
UCI Family Health Center – Main St., Santa Ana
UCI Medical Center Anaheim
Vista Community Clinic