Reach Out and Read (ROR) prepares America's youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. Building on the belief that parents are their children’s first and most important educators, ROR provides families with the books and developmental information they need to prepare their young learners for lifelong social, emotional, and academic success. Given that 90% of a child’s brain development occurs before age 5, we reach children during this critical window of opportunity.

Medical providers at Premier Pediatrics and North Moore Family Practice, who parents see as trusted advisors about their children's health, will use ROR’s three-part model in well-child visits:

• In pediatric exam rooms, doctors and nurses trained in early literacy speak with parents about the importance of reading aloud.
• At each regular well-child checkup from 6 months until 5 years old, the child receives a new, developmentally-appropriate book to take home and keep.
• Parents become more engaged and read to their children more often.

Currently, three clinics provide ROR in Moore County: Premier Pediatrics, North Moore Family Practice, and Sandhills Pediatrics. Children ages 6 months through five years old receive literacy information and a brand new book during every well child visit.

As a result, Reach Out and Read parents learn that reading aloud regularly is the most important thing they can do to help their children develop a love of books and start school ready to learn. Doctors assure parents who cannot read themselves that they can instill in their child a love of books by developing a nurturing relationship around story time, using the illustrations as an opportunity to tell a unique story. In this way, children associate books with parental love and attention. Furthermore, children leave their well-child visits with a beautiful, brand-new book, ensuring families have the tools they need to read together at home, fostering the language and literacy skills children need to succeed in school.