Reach Out and Read (ROR) is an early childhood literacy program based in Mount Sinai's pediatric outpatient clinic. It is modeled after a national program by the same name, which was created by pediatricians and educators at Boston City Hospital in 1989. ROR enhances the literacy development of young children by reaching them at an early age and providing parents with the information, support, and materials they need to make books a treasured part of their children's lives. The program integrates early literacy development into pediatric primary care by building on the power of the parent/doctor relationship as well as the consistent nature of pediatric health supervision.

Three Major Components of Reach Out and Read Program

• Volunteer readers in our clinic waiting areas read aloud to children as they wait for their appointments, showing parents and children the pleasures and techniques of looking at books together.
• In the exam rooms pediatricians counsel parents about the significance of reading with young children, offering age-appropriate tips and encouragement.
• At every routine check-up between the ages of 6 months and 6 years, patients receive a brand new, developmentally and culturally appropriate book from their doctor to take home and love.

Through Reach Out and Read, every child starts school with a home library of at least ten beautiful books; parents learn that reading aloud is the most important thing they can do to help their children love books and start school ready to learn; and doctors are incorporating literacy development into the definition of a healthy childhood.