Promoting early literacy to local families during National Reading Month this March
Along with keeping current on immunizations and advice on raising healthy children, families will leave the pediatrician’s office with something special – a free book courtesy of a unique partnership between MetroHealth’s Broadway Health Center and Buckeye Health Plan. Beginning March 20, during National Reading Month in March, MetroHealth’s Broadway Health Center will give parents with children birth to age five a dose of literacy advice and a free book, making it easier to jumpstart an early foundation in literacy.
More than one in three American children, and half of all children living in poverty, start kindergarten without the skills needed to succeed in school. Through Buckeye’s year-long partnership with MetroHealth’s Broadway Health Center and the Reach Out and Read Program, 375 books will be distributed to children in Cleveland, transforming the lives of the community, one person at a time.
Building a lifelong love for reading and learning often begins when an adult takes time to read to a child. “The roots of literacy reach all the way back to early childhood. By presenting books to our families during their well child visits, doctors show parents how they can help their children grow up loving reading, ready to succeed in school and in our high-tech world,” said Robert Needlman, MD, MetroHealth pediatrician and co-founder of Reach Out and Read.
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…MetroHealth’s Broadway Health Center’s Charnell Robertson-Chapman, Ambulatory Site Manager and Valorie Rose, Community Relations Representative for Buckeye Health Plan, will host a National Reading Month kick-off event on March 20 to build community awareness for the program. The event will feature a guest reader, a visit by Buckley (Buckeye Health Plan’s mascot) and free books for children up to age five.
Reach Out and Read Programs are located in over 6,080 hospitals, health centers, and pediatric clinics in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Reach Out and Read serves 4.7 million children and families annually.
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