Families Send NY State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver

Thousands of Postcards in Support of Reach Out and Read

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - (Albany, NY) February 23, 2010 - NY State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver received thousands of postcards signed by families who participate in the Reach Out and Read children's literacy program.  The over 4,500 postcards were hand-delivered by representatives of Reach Out and Read in New York State.

The postcards were signed by families who visit hospitals and health centers that participate in the Reach Out and Read early childhood literacy program throughout New York State.  They read, "My child is excited about books, and Reach Out and Read (ROR) has played a big part in making that happen.  The pediatricians, nurses, and other health care providers that work with ROR have been teaching parents like me that reading aloud to our kids when they're young gives them the best chance for success in school. Please continue to support this program - the children and families of New York will thank you for it!"

Traci Lester, Executive Director of Reach Out and Read of Greater New York, said, "This is one program that needs to stay in the State budget.  Our programs are run voluntarily by health practitioners who really care about children building literacy skills before they start Kindergarten.  It's a cost-effective way to prepare underprivileged children for school." 

In addition to visiting Speaker Silver, Reach Out and Read partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics to meet with other key legislators to ask them to maintain support for ROR in the State budget. Legislators visited include ROR supporters Assembly Member Dick Gottfried, Chair of the NYS Assembly Health Committee, Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Education, and Senator Thomas K. Duane, Chair of the Senate Health Committee.

Dr. Henry Schaeffer, Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics, District II, NYS, urged the Speaker and all state legislators to support the important work of ROR across the state.  "Each year, hundreds of thousands of children across New York enter Kindergarten with enhanced literacy skills because of the ROR program in pediatricians' offices in every setting and in almost every community.  ROR is a public private partnership of the very best kind.  It deserves ongoing state support most especially in these very difficult times for all New York families.

Studies show that parents who get books and literacy counseling from their doctors and nurses are more likely to read to their young children, read to them more often, and provide more books in the home.  Low-income children exposed to Reach Out and Read also show improvements in language scores, a critical component of school readiness. Together, Reach Out and Read of Greater New York and Reach Out and Read Upstate New York distribute 530,598 books each year to 331,724 children at 283 ROR clinical locations.

About Reach Out and Read of Greater  New York

Reach Out and Read of Greater New York (ROR GNY) serves families who participate in ROR programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster counties.  Established in 1999 as a coalition of 35 program sites, ROR GNY has expanded to 181 sites, distributing 423,000 books to 265,000 children in 2009.  For more information about Reach Out and Read of Greater New York visit our website at:

www.reachoutandreadnyc.org.

About Reach Out and Read

Reach Out and Read is a national, nonprofit program that is working to make literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric primary care.  ROR trains medical providers to advise parents about the importance of reading aloud and to give books to children at check-ups from six months through five years, with a special emphasis on children growing up in poverty.  Endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, ROR has one of the strongest records of research support of any primary care intervention.  Peer-reviewed studies indicate that parents who get books and literacy counseling from their doctors and nurses are more likely to read to their young children, read to them more often, and provide more books in the home.  Low-income children exposed to the program have shown improvements in language development, a critical component of school readiness.

Since 1989, more than 52,000 pediatricians, nurses, residents and health professionals have been trained in the ROR model of early-literacy promotion. This year, ROR will provide over 6 million books to more than 3.8 million children, at more than 4,500 hospitals and health centers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. For more information about Reach Out and Read visit www.reachoutandread.org.