Newswise — Reach Out and Read Texas, a program of the Children’s Learning Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, is proud to take part in the first official September 11 Day of Service and Remembrance, a day established by President Obama and Congress to honor the sacrifices of 9/11 heroes and encourage more Americans to serve their communities.
“The tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001 inspired Americans to action and unified us as a nation,” said Kim Anderson, director of Reach Out and Read Texas. “One of the best ways to honor the heroes of 9/11 is by reaching out in service to others. Reach Out and Read volunteers make an impact on their communities every day. In addition to helping to collect books for the children we serve, Reach Out and Read volunteers also reinforce the importance and impact of reading aloud every day by reading to patients in our waiting rooms. That message helps parents understand that reading together not only provides an opportunity to spend time with their children, but also prepare their children for a lifetime of learning.”
In remembrance of Sept. 11, 2001, and in an effort to engage more Americans in working to strengthen their communities, Reach Out and Read Programs nationwide, including 240 Programs in Texas, are offering volunteers the opportunity to read to children in their pediatrics waiting rooms or organize local book drives to benefit area children.
In April, President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and officially recognized Sept. 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. The initiative is being led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that improves lives and strengthens communities though volunteering and service.
To make it easy for Americans to get involved, the Corporation for National and Community Service created Serve.gov, a Web site that allows visitors to type in their zip code to find local volunteering opportunities or create their own projects with family, friends and neighbors. Reach Out and Read has posted more than 2,000 volunteering opportunities nationwide on Serve.gov.
Reach Out and Read Texas is part of Reach Out and Read (ROR), the nationwide nonprofit early literacy program that works with doctors and nurses to encourage parents to read aloud to their young children. Reach Out and Read trains medical providers at hospitals, health centers, and clinics on the ROR model which includes providing a carefully-selected new, age-appropriate book for each child to take home from every checkup from 6 months to 5 years, starting with board books for babies followed by more complex picture books for preschoolers. Along with the free book for every child, doctors and nurses also provide advice and tips to the parents about reading aloud with their children. Each child who participates in Reach Out and Read will start kindergarten with a home library of up to 10 books and parents who understand the importance of reading.
Reach Out and Read has one of the strongest records of research support of any school readiness intervention. Studies show that parents who get books and counseling on reading aloud from their doctors and nurse practitioners are more likely to read to their young children, read to them more often and provide more books in the home. Children exposed to Reach Out and Read show improved language development, giving a child as young as 2 years old a six-month head start developmentally. Because Reach Out and Read’s doctors and nurses volunteer the time they spend on early literacy, the total cost of the full, five-year ROR program is only $40 per child.
Since it was founded in 1989, Reach Out and Read has trained more than 52,000 doctors and nurses who have given over 20 million books to children in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
For information on Reach Out and Read’s impact nationwide, please visit www.reachoutandread.org. For information on Reach Out and Read Texas, please call (713) 500-8295 or visit www.childrenslearninginstitute.org.
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