reach out and read: evidence- based strategy to promote literacy barry zuckerman, md professor and...
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Reach Out and Read: Evidence-Based Strategy to Promote Literacy
Barry Zuckerman, MDProfessor and ChairmanDepartment of PediatricsBoston University School of Medicine/ Boston Medical CenterCEO and ChairmanReach Out and Read
Problem
35 % OF AMERICAN CHILDREN ENTER KINDERGARTEN UNPREPARED TO LEARN, MOST LACKING THE LANGUAGE SKILLS THAT ARE THE PREREQUISITES OF LITERACY ACQUISITION
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF EDUCATION, 1985
Postnatal Growth of the Human Brain Not only size but increased connections
0200400600800
100012001400
Brain weight (g)
Age
20 weeksprenatalBirth
6 months
Adult
Hart & Risley, T.R. (1995)
In a typical hour, the average child would hear:
Hour Week
Welfare: 616 words 61,000 words
Working class: 1,251 words 125,000 words
Professional: 2,153 words 215,000 words
Vocabulary at age 3:
Professional: 1100 wordsWorking class: 700 wordsWelfare: 500 words
Benefits of Reading Aloud and School Readiness(National Center for Educational Statistics, 1999)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Per
cent
of c
hild
ren
Recognizeall letters
Count to 20 Write name Pretend toread/recite a
story
Have master3-4 skills
Less than 3 times
3 times or more
Benefits of Reading Aloud Reading aloud to children:
– Promoting physical contact and positive interaction
– Stimulates imagination
– Fosters language development
– Promotes reading skills
– Motivates children to love books
– Enhances attention span
– Encourages memory
The Mission of Reach Out and Read
To make literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric primary care, so that children grow up with books and a love of reading so they are ready to learn when they enter school.
Three Components of Reach Out and Read Medical providers encourage parents to
read aloud and offer anticipatory guidance
At every health supervision visit, a child aged 6 mos.- 5 years receives a new developmentally-appropriate book
Community linkages: volunteer readers, libraries
Percent of Parents Engaging inFrequent Book Sharing(Sanders et al., 2000)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Perc
enta
ge o
f pa
rent
s
Under 12 months Over 12 months
Children's age
Intervention
Comparison
Frequency of Reading Aloud (High et. al., 2000)
0
2
4
6
Num
ber o
f day
s an
d ni
ghts
pe
r wee
k
Days/week Nights/week
Intervention
Control
Change in Parent-ChildBook Sharing(High et. al., 2000)
-1
0
1
2
Num
ber o
f day
s an
d ni
ghts
per w
eek
Days/week Nights/week
Intervention
Control
Children’s Expressive andReceptive Language Competencies(Mendelsohn et al., 2001)
74
76
78
80
82
84
86
88
90
92
94
Vo
cab
ula
ry s
core
s
Receptive language Expressive language
Intervention
Comparison
Lessons from Katrina: Helping Children Cope with Significant Stress
1. Attention of parent2. Physical closeness3. Routines