United Way of San Diego County Donates Books
Pediatricians and nurses at San Diego Family Care’s Mid-City Community Clinic are sending families home from checkups with free books and a very important prescription – read aloud to your children. From United Way of San Diego County’s Day of Action and book drive earlier this summer, 100 books were brought to the health center by volunteers from California College San Diego, supporting pediatricians’ early literacy efforts.
“Research shows that if you intervene in the first five years of life and partner with parents, you can dramatically improve the early literacy skills of a child, putting them on the track for success in school and in life,” said Reach Out and Read Chief Executive Officer Earl Martin Phalen.
Doctors, nurse practitioners and other medical professionals incorporate Reach Out and Read’s evidence-based model into regular pediatric checkups by advising parents about the importance of reading aloud and giving developmentally-appropriate books to children.
Through Reach Out and Read, each child begins kindergarten with a home library of up to 10 books and a parent who has heard at every health supervision visit about the importance of books and reading. The program begins at the six-month-old checkup and continues through age five with a special emphasis on children from low-income communities.
United Way of San Diego County donated 900 books to pediatric clinics throughout San Diego participating in Reach Out and Read in an effort to encourage volunteerism and support community organizations focused on education. For more information, visit www.reachoutandread.org.
Category: Education
