The organization Reach Out and Read encourages literacy by partnering with pediatricians to distribute
age-appropriate books to children. Recently, Reach Out and Read implemented an April 1 initiative for 9,000 children’s books and family resources to be distributed across Minnesota.
KDWA connected with Liam Mackin for further insight about the work of Reach Out and Read and how they support communities across Minnesota and right here in Dakota County.
“I’m Liam Mackin, I’m communications and development manager with Reach Out and Read Minnesota. Reach Out and Read Minnesota is an organization that partners with children’s healthcare providers, so pediatricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners, etc., to incorporate early learning and books into children’s routine pediatric care.”
Reach Out and Read partners with pediatric clinicians to distribute children’s books. Why was this the ideal avenue for distribution?
“Yeah, so a number of a number of reasons. So one thing is that healthcare providers actually have a really wide reach. You know, we know that over 91% of children ages five and under, are seeing their primary health care provider at least once a year, right? So that is a huge potential reach for families. You know, very few other institutions actually can reach children that early and that often. And we know that reaching children and families when the children are this young is really important, because their brains are just developing at this incredible pace in this time. So being able to reach them at this time is super important. And then also, we know that families generally have a lot of trust in their primary health care providers and their pediatricians, the family physicians, whoever is leading that visit. And so, you know when our pediatrician is sitting face to face to face with that family and handing over that book they have, you know, a reason to saying, Okay, this, this is important. You know, we often say that our pediatricians or our family physicians like they’re writing a prescription for reading, right? And so, when we phrase it like that, I think families can kind of understand when it’s the pediatrician sharing that book with the child, you know, they’re saying, “Oh, this is actually probably something that’s important for their health and for their development and health and for their development as well.” It’s the reach, it’s the messenger, and it’s that crucial timeframe as well for children ages zero to five.”
Because our clinicians help across all communities. Are these books available in different languages?
“Yes, they absolutely are. This has been a really important piece of our work. Over the last several years, we’ve been working really hard on this. I think a little more than 15% of the populations that we serve actually speak a language other than English in the home. And so we want to make sure that we’re meeting families where they are with the languages that they’re speaking. And so we have books available, a lot of bilingual books, right? So we have a book that might be of English and Spanish or English and Somali. We have over two dozen different languages that families are speaking in the home. So we have books in Spanish Somali. Karen Hmong, you know, we have books in Ojibwe and Dakota as well, just to include those cultural elements. And so, families can kind of pick the language that they feel most comfortable with, because we know that whatever language the child is hearing at that age, it’s really good for their brain development. And if they’re hearing Spanish or Somali or Hmong at home, later on, they also learn English in school or in their communities.”
So, what we’re seeing in society right now, what has been noticed recently, that has caused a disconnect from people seeking care?
“Yeah, so for a lot of families in Minnesota, I think these past couple months have been kind of scary just, you know, we’ve all been following the news, right? And with the increase in integration and customs enforcement presence in Twin Cities and across greater Minnesota, I think, you know, it felt kind of scary for a lot of folks, this increased level of stress that I think is kind of permeating across our community. A lot of families, unfortunately, haven’t felt as safe going in for their regular, routine care. You know, we’ve seen, unfortunately, we’ve seen drops in well, child visit attendance, especially in communities that are highly diverse, that have large immigrant populations. That’s the families that are both immigrant families and families that aren’t, you know, they’re just feeling this level of stress, and unfortunately, they just haven’t been able to get in. You know, they might not feel comfortable going into the doctor, or they’ll say,” You know what? This isn’t that. You know, I can put this appointment off another month, another two months,” and obviously, you know, the situation has changed in the past to several weeks. And you know, hopefully that we’re all getting back to a more regular rhythm of life, but there’s still a lot of, I think, fear that is kind of, you know, residual in the communities, and a lot of stress, honestly, and a lot of, you know, collective trauma that folks have to work through.”
It looks like Reach Out and Read has found a way to connect their books to their recipients. Could you speak more into that?
“Yeah, so especially folks weren’t comfortable coming into the clinic. We thought, you know, we have these books we want to care for families, because we know that in times of stress, like these activities, such as reading together, these what we call language rich activities, these bonding activities, are really good for helping families process stress, for helping the child feel more at home, for helping them continue, as we said, that this really critical period of brain development so that their brains can continue to grow healthily. And so, we said, how can… what can we do for the families that aren’t comfortable coming in right now? And the answer was that we’re going to try our best to bring books and, you know, early learning resources and guidance just directly to their homes. You know, we received some donations from some of our partners, like all the books, barefoot books, Scholastic, and then we’ve had enormous support from our national office to bring us these books and resources. And we partnered with some of our healthcare providers that are doing at home visits. They’re going directly into the communities to provide care, and other nonprofits that are doing home visits, and we’re bringing those books. You know, we have this huge selection of really beautiful books that we’ve been so excited about. We’ve had, you know, books in different languages, and Hmong Somali grand Spanish. And we’ve had books, you know, normally we’re serving just zero to five is our core age range, because we know it’s so important for their brain development. But we also know lots of families have been stuck at home or feeling this additional stress. So, we’ve, we’ve widened our selection of books to include things for children that are slightly older. So, we have early readers, graphic novels, some activity books, and then we’ve also put together some information. We have it in both English and Spanish. That’s, you know, some general guidance about why number one, reading is such an important tool, especially in times of stress. And then two ways that families can use these books to kind of bond together and spend some time together and just, you know, hopefully decompress after feeling perhaps a moment of increased stress.”
What practical guidance can parents take away right now?
“You know, one of the founders of the Reach Out and Read program, Dr Robert Needleman, I heard him once say, you know, he said, as long as you and your child are sharing a book and are having a good time, then you know that reading is taking place, right? So, it doesn’t need to be this huge formal thing. You know, sitting your child in a chair and looking at them and reading at them, right? It’s a shared experience. It should be fun. And if you’re having fun, and if you’re just sharing that moment together and just being present, making eye contact, snuggling up together, that is the most important thing for you and for that child, right? It’s going to help them feel safe, it’s going to help them feel loved, and it’s going to help their brain make these really essential connection. So really, more than anything. You know, it sounds so simple, but it has such dramatic effect. You know, share the book and have a good time doing it.”
That’s right. Shared reading is the best way to read. I love it.
“Yes, absolutely.”
So, what does Reach Out and Read look like in Minnesota?
“Yeah. So, Reach Out and Read. You know, we in here Minnesota. We’re a 501, c3, we’re also a part of this larger Reach Out and Read national network. So, there’s, you know, there’s affiliates in all sorts of different states all across the country. But here in Minnesota, we’re active at over 300 clinics. So, we have 19 clinics in Dakota County and, you know, clinics up north border with Canada. So, we’re all over. We’re distributing over 300,000 books annually at well child visits, and then we’re serving over 168,000 children served. So that’s, you know, a little bit less than half of the children ages zero to five in Minnesota. So, we’re pretty excited about that.”
How many children does Reach Out and Read serve nationally?
“Nationally, Reach Out and Read is serving nearly 5 million, so I think the official numbers 4.8 million children serve across the country, which is pretty exciting. And we’re distributing, you know, reach out read Minnesota and all of our partner affiliates all across the country, over 9 million books every year to families. So that really adds up.”
How can parents make sure that they are getting these books at a well child visit?
“Number one thing is, if you already have a clinic, go ahead and ask them if they are participating in Reach Out and Read, or if they would be interested in participating or Reach Out and Read. Minnesota, here we’re at over 300 clinics, as I said, and if folks want to find a clinic that specifically already participates in, Reach Out and Read. You can do that. If you’re in Minnesota, you can go to ReachOutandReadmn.org and find our clinic map, and you can scroll around and find the clinic closest to you or a clinic that’s convenient to you. And you can also do the same thing on our national website. So, you know, we have folks perhaps listening over in Wisconsin as well, and we have a number of clinics there. And you can go to reach out and read.org and do the same thing there.”
Liam, do you believe in the transformative power of books?
“Oh, absolutely, that’s what we’re doing here, right? I see it every day in the lives of kids that we’re serving. You know, I see the way that books are transforming, the way that doctors are caring for their for the children that they see in the way that families are interacting together. And then, you know, like, I feel deeply fortunate that my parents, they’re both educators, so they’ve been reading to me very early, and I still remember all the different voices that my dad would use, if you, you know, told these stories. And so, when I see that in my own life, and I see how important reading has been to me, that’s something that I want for every single child in Minnesota, and that’s really the core of what we’re trying to do here.”
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