Explore ways to improve and expand your early literacy outcomes in your community through collaborations between public libraries and Reach Out and Read clinics. Find out about current successful partnerships in Colorado and get some of your FAQs answered here.

1. REACH OUT AND READ AND
PUBLIC LIBRARIES:
Great Partners in Early Literacy
Meredith Hintze, Program Director
Reach Out and Read Colorado
Beth Crist, Youth & Family Services Consultant
Colorado State Library

2. What are we going to talk about?
• Why should Libraries and Reach Out and Read
clinics form partnerships?
• Partnership examples
• Partnership ideas (open discussion)
• How can we help?
• One Book 4 Colorado

3. One Book 4 Colorado Wins
2013 Community Partnership Award!

4. Reach Out and Read Colorado
is a prescription for literacy
Doctors give books to children ages 6 months through
5 years at well-child visits, and provide literacy advice
to families.
Reach Out and Read promotes early literacy through
primary care clinics because medical providers:
• Reach most parents and children
• Have repeated one-on-one contact with families
• Provide trusted guidance about children’s
development
• May serve as the only source of formalized
support for poor families

5. The Reach Out and Read Model
• A brand new, age-appropriate book is given to
children from 6 months and 5 years of age at every
well-child visit. Doctors instruct parents to read
aloud with children.
• Families receive early literacy information including
anticipatory guidance and developmental
milestones.
• Clinics create a literacy-rich environment in exam
and waiting rooms.

6. About Reach Out and Read
• In Colorado, 87,000 children receive 157,000
books annually. Nationally, 4 million children
receive 6.5 million books annually.
• More than 220 Colorado clinics offer Reach Out
and Read.
• It works. Fifteen peer reviewed studies illustrate
its effectiveness.

7. Public libraries and early literacy
• Storytimes with parent training component
• Outreach programs
• Family events
• Parent classes
• Classes for childcare and preschool staff
• Programs for children with specific needs
…and of course lots of books and media!

8. Findings from SPELL
• Form partnerships
• Work through existing infrastructures
Pediatricians and clinics are key!
• Be convenient
• Promote and cross-promote services
http://spellproject.weebly.com/

9. How do families benefit?
• Families receive consistent support through
messaging that is shared in both settings.
• Families gain free access to books to keep and to
borrow.
• Parents learn early literacy tips and info from multiple
trusted sources, in culturally appropriate ways.

10. How do clinics benefit?
A successful partnership supports a literacy-rich
environment at the clinic.
What is a literacy-rich clinic environment?
• Gently used books in the exam and waiting rooms
• Literacy themed decorations and posters
• Volunteers reading to children in the waiting rooms
• Library Information is readily available

11. Examples of Literacy-Rich Clinic Waiting Areas
Tri County Health Department-Aurora
Pediatrics of Steamboat Springs
Community Health Services-Commerce City

12. How do Libraries benefit?
• Increase reach
• Cross promote services
• Promote early literacy
• Better serve parents & children
• Gain important community partners

13. PIKES PEAK LIBRARY
DISTRICT
Reach Out and Read at the
Peak Vista Pediatrics Clinic

14. Peak Vista Pediatrics Clinic
waiting area for children

One hour/ once a week in waiting room
 Storytimes
 Talking with parents

15. “The Suitcase”




Books
Puzzles
Library cards
Brochures

16. Well-child
Waiting Room

17. Benefits
 Publicize the library to non-users
 Publicize the library to Spanish speakers
 Opportunity to talk one on one with parents about early
literacy
 The clinic is able to address the whole child and brain
development rather than just the physical health of the
child.

18. Challenges
 Staffing – important to have regular staff
 Staff – challenge to comfort zone
 TV in space
 Books in the “well-child” area
 Non-English speaking parents and caregivers
 First contact with the diverse families
 Requirements of the clinics

19. Nancy Maday
PPLD Children’s Services Manager
nmaday@ppld.org
719-531-6333, ext. 2405

20. How Can We Help?
• Contact lists are available clinics and libraries
• One Book 4 Colorado
• One Book 4 Colorado webinars
 February 25 at noon
 February 27 at 8 a.m.

21. http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/onebook4co/index

22. How Can We Help?
• Colorado State Library and Reach Out and Read
Colorado can help facilitate partnerships.
meredith@reachoutandreadco.org
Crist_B@cde.state.co.us
Resources
•
How to Connect handout
•
Literacy-Rich Waiting Rooms handout
•
Webinar will be archived

23. How Can We Help?
No need to reinvent the wheel! Here’s a sample of a co-branded brochure
produced by the Denver Public Library:

24. How can we help?
What can we do to facilitate your
partnership?

25. Recap
• Libraries and Reach Out and Read clinics
benefit when they partner
• Partnership examples
• Partnership ideas
• We can help
• One Book 4 Colorado

26. Thank you!
Please complete the webinar evaluation:
https://www.research.net/s/ROARCSLwebinar
Meredith Hintze, Program Director
meredith@reachoutandreadco.org
Reach Out and Read Colorado
Beth Crist, Youth & Family Services Consultant
crist_b@cde.state.co.us
Colorado State Library