What’s Happening
The Early Literacy Program of Orange County and THINK Together expands by combining from a grant from the Children & Families Commission of Orange County
It is hard to believe that in 2011, children are still coming to kindergarten without basic language skills. Yet, even in a robust metropolitan area like Orange County, children are ill prepared to enter school. THINK Together , the nation’s leading provider of extended day learning time programs, endeavors to change that through the awarding of a $1 million grant from the Children & Families Commission of Orange County . On July 1, THINK Together assumed responsibility for providing books and waiting room volunteers to dozens of Reach Out and Read sites in Orange County, which are currently coordinated by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Orange County chapter . Reach Out and Read is a cost-efficient, evidence-based national program that uses the existing healthcare infrastructure to promote early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud. The grant also increases the number of locations in Orange County where THINK Together is currently offering the national Raising A Reader program. THINK Together’s Raising A Reader sites will increase four fold.
Reach Out and Read is among the Commission’s early literacy initiatives to receive substantial support from THINK Together. THINK Together will provide books and specially trained waiting room volunteers in support of the physician education provided in 61 pediatric medical sites in 21 Orange County cities. The Reach Out and Read model includes:
• In the pediatric exam room, health care provider, trained in the developmental strategies of early literacy, encourage and guide parents in reading aloud to their children.
• The pediatrician gives each child, ages 6 months through 5 years, a new, developmentally- and culturally-appropriate book to take home and keep.
• Parents incorporate advice received during pediatric visits and make reading aloud part of their daily routine.
“ One of the reasons why Reach Out and Read has been so successful and cost-efficient nationwide is that research has consistently shown that parents trust their child’s physician. Reach Out and Read is unique in that it uses a trusted authority figure, in the special setting of a medical visit, to promote children’s learning,” explained Nadia Flores, THINK Together’s program director. Pediatricians can also use the books provided by Reach Out and Read to help assess the child’s development during the medical visit. In addition, the pediatrician encourages the parent to read aloud daily and incorporate reading into daily routines to help advance their child’s verbal and cognitive development,” added Lynn Hunt, M.D., president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Orange County chapter.
Volunteers are needed to serve as trained waiting room readers. “Volunteers support and supplement the ongoing work of pediatricians at the Reach Out and Read sites. Trained waiting room readers expose children to books and parents to resources that will help them embrace their role as their child’s first teachers,” Flores explained. Waiting room readers need to be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or GED, and be available to spend at least 2 to 4 hours per week reading to children and engaging parents. Learn more and register at www.THINKTogether.org .
In addition to adding Reach Out and Read to its early literacy initiatives, the grant quadrupled the number of THINK Together early literacy sites, adding 29 schools that are licensed pre-school and childcare facilities where the national Raising a Reader program will be offered. For the past two years, THINK Together, through Prop 10 funding from the Commission, has offered the Raising A Reader program in seven locations in Santa Ana. Like Reach Out and Read, the Raising A Reader program targets families with children up to age 5. Through the Raising A Reader program, families receive a book bag each week containing age-appropriate books and reading materials to encourage reading in the home to develop language skills and an interest in reading among pre-school aged children – in an effort to ensure they have basic language and letter recognition skills to begin kindergarten ready to learn.
THINK Together, the nation’s leading provider of extended learning time programs, currently serves 75,000 K-12 students at more than 250 school sites. The organization’s early literacy program currently serves about 50,000 children and families in Orange County. To learn more about the organization and its expertise in closing the achievement gap for youngsters of all ages, visit www.THINKtogether.org .
California Chapter 4, American Academy of Pediatrics (CA4, AAP) is a community organization and an affiliate of the American Academy of Pediatrics. CA4, AAP was founded in 1982 and its membership includes 500 Orange County pediatricians and pediatric medical and surgical subspecialists. CA4, AAP is committed to delivering innovative, sustainable services to promote the health and well-being for all children in Orange County. Chapter members and staff work hard to advocate for the needs of underserved children by promoting access to health care and ensuring that children receive regular, comprehensive, quality care in a medical home. The Chapter also facilitates a higher quality of health care by providing education resources for its members and community partners.
Why Early Literacy
Reading early to your child is critical to supporting the development of reading skills, which is an important indicator of later school success. While many literacy programs focus on school-age children, researchers agree that children are more likely to become good readers if they start school having been exposed to a wide variety of literary experiences and have knowledge of books and stories.
The Children and Families Commission of Orange County supports an ever-growing number of programs and organizations that are dedicated to making sure children are healthy and ready to learn when they enter school.
That is why the Commission has launched the countywide Early Literacy Program (ELP) to bring critical literacy resources to families with children ages 0 to 5 years of age. ELP supports literacy programs reaching children throughout the county by supplying books, best practices, readers and literacy resources.
So read on to learn more about our programs and services, and how you can make a difference in the life of a young child.
Read Early. Read Aloud.