Some pediatricians may give out stickers, crayons or small toys to their young patients after a routine wellness visit.
But others like Dr. Trude Haecker and her colleagues at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have been taking a different approach: They’re “prescribing” new books to children and families. They send them home with a new book after visits, along with encouragement to read together as a family.
Their goal is to support literacy rates and school readiness, especially as reading levels have stayed flat or even fallen in many communities in recent years.
“We know that it makes a huge difference over time,” Haecker said. “And we want to keep giving that message. It’s a cause that we need to keep fighting for, even more strongly than we ever did.”
The practice of “prescribing” books is part of a national model called Reach Out and Read, which originated in Boston in 1989. CHOP clinics in Philadelphia adopted the approach in 1996. Other health systems in the area, including St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, followed.
Reach Out and Read has now launched a Pennsylvania affiliate to expand the program to more parts of the commonwealth. More than 1,000 pediatricians statewide participate in the initiative, said Haecker, who serves as medical director of CHOP’s local book program. She hopes to see that figure grow.
“My goal, ultimately, is that every child gets a book at every checkup,” she said.
Using books as a tool to improve learning, build relationships
The Reach Out and Read model targets infants and children under 5 years old. It’s a crucial period for brain development and skill building, Haecker said.
Distributing books that families can use to spend more time together at home can also help create stronger relationships between parents and children, she said.
“I show the picture of a cat or a soft, fuzzy thing, the baby pats the book and looks at me, looks at the book, and I get to say to the mom, ‘Look at your baby, look at how smart she is.’ She can see the pictures, she’s hearing my voice. Maybe even that baby will turn the pages,” Haecker said. “I get to assess development of that child, I get to see mother-child interaction, and I’m giving them something that I know will change the trajectory of that child’s life.”
Pediatricians expect to distribute about 14 books to each child over the course of five years so that they can build their own library at home and practice reading before primary school.
The program’s design addresses several barriers to literacy development, Haecker said, including the high costs that often come with purchasing new books. Libraries can be a great resource for families looking to rent books, but she said people may not live near one.
The approach also creates a positive association between reading and health care providers, Haecker said, which can help build trust with patients and families.
“I think it adds a new layer of engagement,” she said. “And I can tell you that, having done it for 30 years and having given out thousands of books, families don’t forget.”
Expanding reading support across Pennsylvania
Health systems and practices in Pennsylvania’s major cities, as well as large communities like Lancaster, adopted the Reach Out and Read model many years ago. But Haecker said there’s an opportunity to expand services to health providers and families in rural areas.
“Family practice is the other place we’re really trying to work with, because Pennsylvania has a lot of family practitioners, in rural areas, particularly,” she said. “We want to reach out to them, as well as nurse practitioners, to make sure that they’re aware.”
Under the new statewide affiliate, Reach Out and Read leaders will help train more doctors and nurses on how to adopt the model.
New local program sites will need to identify partnerships with community organizations, businesses and nonprofits that can help fundraise and find donors to help sustain services, Haecker said, which primarily involves the purchase of new books.
Leading the reading initiative at CHOP in Philadelphia has always been a personal labor of love, said Haecker, who looks forward to helping other health systems and organizations across the state bring services to their families.
“My parents were very proud because I became a physician,” she said. “First person in my family to go to college and I really didn’t grow up with a lot of books, which is why Read Out and Read is so important to me.”
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