Building healthy brains
Integrating well-child visits with literacy
program sets kids up for success
Reach Out
and Read:
6
aspire
Fall 2014
DO
you have a
favorite movie
that you’ve seen so
many times you
can recite most of
its lines? Kids can
often do the same
thing with their
favorite books—
even if they can’t
yet read—just by looking at the pictures.
The next time a child asks you to read
his or her favorite book for what may
seem like the 1,000th time, don’t turn
down the opportunity. There are many
children who don’t get exposed to books
when they are young, and research has
shown that reading to children at a young
age can have lasting impacts.
According to the Wisconsin Council
on Children and Families, 85 percent
of the foundation of a child’s intellect,
personality and skills is formed by age five.
Unfortunately, a 2013 study from Reading
Is Fundamental and Macy’s found that
only 1 in 3 parents reads bedtime stories
with their children every night.
To promote literacy at a young age and
encourage reading to children, Aspirus is
integrating a program called Reach Out
Sarah
Hackworth, MD
