Reach Out and Read expands statewide in Pennsylvania

Reach Out and Read has launched a Pennsylvania affiliate to expand its early literacy model through pediatric care across the commonwealth. The move aims to reach families during well-child visits, a key window for brain development, language growth and school readiness.

Why it matters: - Pennsylvania’s youngest children are falling behind on early reading, and the program aims to close that gap by using pediatric visits to support families before problems grow. - The affiliate will extend an evidence-based model into more communities without requiring extra appointments or separate programs. - The effort focuses on the first five years of life, when relationships, language and learning foundations are set.

What happened: - Reach Out and Read launched Reach Out and Read Pennsylvania to expand its early literacy model statewide. - The expansion builds on work that began nearly 30 years ago at three Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia clinics. - Reach Out and Read Pennsylvania already serves more than 232,000 children each year through more than 545,000 well-child visits. - The program will grow across Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Central Pennsylvania and other regions of the commonwealth. - Steve Wilmot, MSW, is the affiliate’s executive director. - Wilmot brings more than 25 years of experience in pediatric health care, practice management and community-based services. - At CHOP, Wilmot served as associate vice president for the Primary Care service line and helped lead operations for more than 100,000 children. - Dr. Trude Haecker is Reach Out and Read Pennsylvania’s medical director.

The details: - The model embeds early literacy into pediatric care by using well-child visits to engage families in child development. - Caregivers receive trusted guidance and developmentally appropriate books during visits. - The program is designed to strengthen early relationships, build language foundations and encourage habits linked to long-term health and educational success. - Wilmot said families want the strongest possible start for their children, but often cannot access the resources they need early on. - Wilmot said the pediatric exam room is a trusted place to reach parents and caregivers with simple, meaningful guidance. - Haecker said shared reading is a powerful tool because a child and caregiver reading together also build comfort, attention and connection. - Pennsylvania data cited by the organization show that 42.3 percent of parents read to their babies every day. - More than half of third-graders in the state are reading below a basic level. - The organization says nearly all young children attend regular pediatric checkups, making those visits a consistent and equitable way to reach families. - Peer-reviewed studies show parents in the program are 2.5 times more likely to read with their children, and their children’s language development is ahead of peers. - More than 1,500 clinicians in Pennsylvania share guidance and 465,900 new books each year.

Between the lines: - The expansion gives Reach Out and Read a way to reach families inside an existing health-care touchpoint, which can help reduce barriers tied to time, transportation and program access. - The state data cited by the organization point to a larger school-readiness challenge, not just a reading habit problem. - The program’s emphasis on trusted relationships suggests the strategy is as much about parent coaching as it is about book distribution.

What's next: - More pediatric practices across Pennsylvania are expected to join the network. - More children will receive books and reading guidance during routine well-child visits. - The organization says the expansion will help families build stronger reading habits from the start. - More information is available in the organization’s Pennsylvania announcement.