ROR GC has been Cleveland's proud organizer of the Reach Out and Read model since 1998. Reach Out and Read's evidence-based, three-part model utilizes the help of doctors, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals to make an impactful intervention at regular pediatric checkups:

- Trained doctors and nurses speak with parents about the importance of reading aloud, starting in infancy.

- At each regular checkup from 6 months through 5 years of age, the child receives a new book to take home.

- Many Reach Out and Read program sites create literacy-rich environments that include gently-used books for waiting room use and/or volunteer readers to model for parents the techniques of reading aloud to young children.

As a result of this three-part intervention at the doctor's office, parents become more engaged and read to their children more often at home. The time spent reading translates into quantifiable gains: Our evidence base of 16 peer-reviewed research studies shows that during the preschool years, children served by Reach Out and Read score three to six months ahead of their non-Reach Out and Read peers on vocabulary tests. These early foundational language skills help propel children on a path of success when they enter school.

THE LITERACY COOPERATIVE

The Literacy Cooperative and ROR GC collaborate to maximize our individual impacts on literacy in Northeastern Ohio. To learn more about their contributions to our community, visit their website.