NEWS  from
 Reach Out and Read
 Washington State
April 2019

Dear Friends,

Thank you for reading the April issue of our newsletter. 

This month we highlight a recent study that shows that families more frequently share books at home when they receive literacy support at both the library and from their doctor via Reach Out and Read. We have long believed in the power of partnerships between Reach Out and Read and libraries to give families access to books and the support to know how to share them together at home. It's wonderful to see research confirm that layering these practices together does, indeed, provide enhanced benefits to families.

I am excited to be sharing information about partnerships between Reach Out and Read and libraries at the upcoming joint conference of the Washington and Oregon library associations. Joining me for the session "Healthcare Providers & Libraries Collaborating to Support Families" are Dr. Ellen Stevenson, Medical Director of Reach Out and Read Oregon, and librarian partners from the Seattle Public Library and Multnomah County Library. We hope those of you attending the conference will join us for the session! We will be sharing the breadth and depth of Reach Out and Read partnerships with libraries and giving practical suggestions for how librarians can connect with doctors in their communities.

Also included in this newsletter:
  • An introduction to Jenifer Priest, our new Development and Administrative Assistant in our Spokane office
  • An announcement of funding we received from The Rite Aid Corporation to support Reach Out and Read in King County
Please get in touch with us at anytime if we can provide you with more detail about these activities or any aspect of our work.

Very best wishes,
Jessica Mortensen 
Executive Director, Reach Out and Read Washington State
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Libraries

Reach Out and Read and Libraries
Increasing Parent-Child Book Sharing 

A new study finds that families who receive books and literacy guidance from their pediatric care provider and use public library resources are much more likely to share books in the home environment.
 
The study, Encouraging Parent-Child Book Sharing: Potential Added Benefits of Literacy Promotion in Health Care and the Community , reviewed parent/caregiver survey responses and found that families who visited libraries and utilized literacy resources reported more book sharing activities at home. Furthermore, the greatest number of book sharing interactions in the home were reported by families who used library resources and also received books and literacy guidance from their pediatrician. These findings demonstrate that libraries and Reach Out and Read are complementary and provide significant benefits to families when they receive support in both settings. 
 
Reach Out and Read Washington State knows the power of libraries. We actively encourage partnerships between medical clinics, libraries, and librarians to further support early childhood literacy. We connect participating Reach Out and Read clinics with local libraries and encourage them to share library resources with the families they serve. Our goal is to foster a relationship between clinics and libraries that best meets the needs of the community and increases access to the free supports libraries provide for families.

NewStaff

Meet Our Newest Staff member
Jenifer Priest, Development and Administrative Assistant

We are excited to introduce you to Jenifer Priest, the latest addition to our staff team. Jenifer will be working part-time out of our Spokane office.  Read on to learn about Jenifer in her own words:

I am thrilled to be at Reach out and Read! One of my earliest memories was taking a pencil and paper into my mom's bed and asking her to teach me how to write my name, so that I could get a library card. We lived right next door to a library and I loved going there and selecting books.

Even though my mother only had an 8th grade education, and English was her second language, she fostered reading in my sisters and me. I still remember being introduced to the Little House on the Prairie books and learning that my mother read them in her native Germany .

After careers in media and citizen diplomacy, I've spent the last 15 years working in nonprofits raising funds. I'm eager to use all my work and life skills at Reach Out and Read as the new Development and Administrative Assistant.

Outside of work, I enjoy beading and card-making, love to travel and , of course , reading! My life became a party 5 years ago after I adopted Dudley, a gregarious dachshund.

ThankYou

Thank you, Rite Aid!
Reach Out and Read Washington Receives KidCents Regional Grants

We are delighted to announce that the Rite Aid Foundation has awarded Reach Out and Read Washington a KidCents regional grant for "Supporting Parents as their Child's First Teacher" in King County.
 
Rite Aid's new KidCents regional grant program was added to their grant portfolio to support a select group of nonprofit, kid-focused organizations committed to improving the health and well-being of children living in the communities Rite Aid serves. Priority was given to programs supporting communities in need.
 
Through KidCents, members of Rite Aid's loyalty program, wellness+ rewards, can round up their online or in-store purchases to the nearest dollar to help children. According to Tracy Henderson, director of the Rite Aid Foundation's charitable giving initiatives, "We created the KidCents program to ensure that kids have a chance for better lives and brighter futures."
 
We are so grateful to the Rite Aid Foundation for helping to fund ROR services in King County. As the state's most populous county, which includes the major cities of Seattle and Bellevue, King County has 73 practices where medical providers bring Reach Out and Read to over 43,000 children and their families annually. So this support is absolutely crucial to our work!

To learn more about the Rite Aid Foundation KidsCents program visit  kidcents.com.

  About Reach Out and Read Washington State

Reach Out and Read gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together.  Our evidence- based proven program leverages the influence of children's doctors and makes literacy promotion  a standard part of well-child checkups from birth through 5 years. Reach Out and Read  supports parents as their child's first teacher and helps children be ready for  kindergarten. 
 
Through 236 programs in 30 counties, 2,000 medical providers serve an estimated  130,000 children and their families across Washington. Reach Out and Read
Washington State is part of Reach Out and Read, Inc., a national not-for  profit 501(c)3  organization.