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Every child should grow up with books
and a love of reading. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Over 166,000 Hoosier children are living in/near
poverty, greatly increasing their chance of growing up without books. Putting books into the hands of young children
so that they develop a love of reading is what Reach Out and Read (ROR) Indiana is all about. ROR Indiana utilizes the
special relationship that exists between physician and patient to promote early childhood literacy development in the exam room.
Doctors and nurses give new books to children at each well child visit from 6 months of age to 5 years, and accompany
these books with developmentally appropriate advice to parents about reading aloud with their child. Each child will receive
at least 10 brand new books before starting kindergarten. The ROR program model is based on research that shows a
connection between the frequency of sharing books with babies, toddlers and young children, and enhanced language development.
ROR physicians are prescribing books and reading aloud for their young patients, with a special focus on children growing
up in poverty. ROR Indiana has trained doctors and nurses promoting pediatric literacy at more than 100 hospitals, health
centers and private practices across the state. These sites distribute over 140,000 new books annually to Hoosier children.
Please also visit the Reach Out and Read National Website.
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