Reach Out and Read-Alabama providers write a prescription for summer reading
Reach Out and Read-Alabama hosts an annual summer campaign to encourage families to read together with a chosen book as inspiration. Copies of the book are distributed by pediatric healthcare providers statewide throughout the summer months.
Since 2011, the prescription for summer reading has included a very hungry caterpillar, dancing barnyard animals, a big red dog in a storm, dinosaurs celebrating birthdays, a bunny visiting the doctor, a super hero kid, a sleepy tiger, a camellia-wearing black bear, a toddler going for a well-child visit, a sunglasses-wearing cat, and a worried young girl. Each book is chosen on the basis of “finding the right book at the right time” with a focus on what is happening in the world around us and helping families forge closer bonds while building the empathy and resilience that children will rely on throughout their lives.
Reach Out and Read-Alabama’s 14th annual Summer Campaign demonstrates what happens “if you give a child a book”
If you give a child a book... He is going to want to read it. She will be captivated by the pictures and the text and will want to keep reading to see what happens next. He’ll ask you to read it to him again and again, And so you do…
Similar to the well-known children’s book, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, which illustrates what happens when you give that little mouse a cookie, Reach Out and Read-Alabama’s (ROR-AL) 14th annual summer reading campaign answers what takes place if you give a child a book.
Focusing on emotional & mental wellness & encouraging families to read together, 13th annual Summer Campaign reaches families across the state
Ruby had no worries this summer as she made her way across the state to 40 program sites! Events ranged from pediatric providers reading in the waiting room and fun coloring sheets handed out with the books to having guest celebrities read the book along with a fun party in the practice.
“When we talk about our emotions we are better able to handle them. Filled with tips for families, Ruby Finds A Worry was an excellent book to start conversations about emotions in the home,” said Amy Crosby, statewide coordinator. “In addition to helping families support positive social emotional development, Reach Out and Read-Alabama providers also created a space where the families we serve foster healthy brain development and create strong bonds that last a lifetime.”
Participating practices and clinics included the following:
Eastern Shore Children’s Clinic
Partners in Pediatrics
Fairhope Pediatrics
Pediatric Clinic, LLC
Pediatric Associates of Auburn
Infants’ & Children’s Clinic
Gadsden Pediatric Clinic
Mostellar Medical Center
Primary Care Center of Monroeville
Nurse Family Partnership of Central Alabama
Charles Henderson Child Health Center
Montgomery Family Medicine Residency Program
Mobile County Health Department/ Keeler Pediatrics
Enterprise Pediatric Clinic
Ozark Pediatric Clinic
Gulf Shores Pediatrics
Willow Tree Pediatrics
West Alabama Pediatrics
Alabama Multi-Specialty Group, P.C.
Pediatrics West McAdory
Pediatrics West Bessemer
Model City Pediatrics
Greenvale Pediatrics Hoover
Simon Williamson Clinic Pediatrics
Marshall County Pediatrics
Accordia Health
Kids R Us Pediatrics
Crimson Pediatrics
Anderson Family Care
MCHD Family Health Eight Mile Clinic
Regional Medical Clinic
Dothan Pediatric Clinic
Eufaula Pediatric Clinic
UAB Primary Care Clinic
Over the Mountain Pediatrics