Some pediatricians may give out stickers, crayons or small toys to their young patients after a routine wellness visit.
But others like Dr. Trude Haecker and her colleagues at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have been taking a different approach: They’re “prescribing” new books to children and families. They send them home with a new book after visits, along with encouragement to read together as a family.
Their goal is to support literacy rates and school readiness, especially as reading levels have stayed flat or even fallen in many communities in recent years.
“We know that it makes a huge difference over time,” Haecker said. “And we want to keep giving that message. It’s a cause that we need to keep fighting for, even more strongly than we ever did.”
The practice of “prescribing” books is part of a national model called Reach Out and Read, which originated in Boston in 1989. CHOP clinics in Philadelphia adopted the approach in 1996. Other health systems in the area, including St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, followed.
Reach Out and Read has now launched a Pennsylvania affiliate to expand the program to more parts of the commonwealth. More than 1,000 pediatricians statewide participate in the initiative, said Haecker, who serves as medical director of CHOP’s local book program. She hopes to see that figure grow.
“My goal, ultimately, is that every child gets a book at every checkup,” she said…
