Curious Parents Family Health Resources

Brought to you by Curious Parents

sponsored by

Sacred Heart Reaches Out to Area Children

Some children who live in the Lehigh Valley started off kindergarten with a library of 10 or more books; and, they experienced the joy of having a parent read out loud to them. That’s quite a head start on the pack—and especially important in today’s hyper competitive world.

The reason is because Sacred Heart Hospital participates in Reach Out and Read, a program that trains medical providers to advise parents about the importance of reading aloud and to give free books to children at check-ups from 6 months to 5 years. The books are new and age-appropriate: board books for babies and more complex picture books for preschoolers.

The program is receiving the support of congress on both sides of the aisle. Congressman Charlie Dent is one congressional member who is not only preaching the program, but also practicing it. He visited Sacred Heart in the summer and read to young patients at the hospital.

Reach Out and Read participating doctors and nurses distribute 3.4 million books to more than 2.1 million children and their families annually at 2,482 pediatric practices, hospitals, clinics and health centers in all 50 states, targeting those centers which serve children at socioeconomic risk.

Since l989, Reach Out and Read has trained more than 28,000 doctors and nurses who have given advice and a new book at more than 15 million well-child visits. The program has a special emphasis on disadvantaged children.

According to Reach Out and Read the program is helping accomplish some worthwhile goals:

• Improving children’s ability to express themselves verbally.
• Increasing children’s listening vocabularies.
• Reducing the number of children with language delays that can prevent them from succeeding in school.

Reach Out and Read boasts one of the strongest records of research support of any primary care intervention. Peer-reviewed studies indicate parents who receive 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.

To learn more about the program at Sacred Heart Hospital call their Pediatrics department at 610.776.5960 or visit www.ssh.org. For more information about Reach Out and Read, please visit www.reachoutandread.org.