United Way of Rock River Valley (UWRRV) has mobilized the community to action by bringing Reach Out and Read (ROR) to Winnebago County, a groundbreaking initiative to enhance pediatric literacy. ROR benefits 4.4 million children nationwide and is the only national pediatric literacy model endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Local healthcare partners Crusader Community Health, UW Health, Mercy Health, and OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center support this effort.
A $300,000 state literacy grant secured by Senator Stadelman was instrumental in launching ROR in Winnebago County.
“Literacy empowers people,” said Illinois Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford). “Improved reading skills lead to greater educational outcomes, better lives, more job opportunities and reduced poverty in a community.”
“Giving children the resources and assistance necessary to establish vital reading skills at a young age is essential to building a foundation of literacy that can support learning in every subject and across every interest,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Reach Out and Read meets families where they are to provide research-based literacy assistance—the kind of simple but effective outreach this state is proud to help fund.”
ROR operates on a simple yet impactful model. During routine well-child visits, birth through five years of age, trained primary medical care providers use age-appropriate, culturally relevant books to promote early literacy and foster early relational health. Medical providers coach, model, and affirm positive behaviors and effective book-sharing techniques. The child takes the book home, helping the parent or caregiver to establish a daily reading routine with the child while adding to a literacy-rich home environment.
Through the 35 years of ROR in the United States, the body of independent, peer-reviewed, and published research has shown:
- Parents are two and a half more times likely to read with their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
- Parents are two times more likely to read with their children three or more times a week
- Children exposed to ROR have higher receptive and expressive language scores.
- Children had higher scores on the Home Literacy Orientation
- Children who are also enrolled in Dolly Parton Imagination Library see increased literacy results
UWRRV is investing in ROR with our local health systems by funding the distribution of books. UWRRV is also partnering with local organizations, such as the Junior League of Rockford and Alignment Rockford, to assist with developing record-keeping strategies and provide offices with a literacy-rich environment.
Crusader Community Health launched its ROR program on October 1 and expects to add all its pediatric clinics by early 2025. UW Health, Mercy Health, and OSF St. Anthony Medical Center are in the application process and expect to add clinics by late 2024/early 2025.
“The partnership of UWRRV with ROR Illinois, our local health care systems, and local organizations is a testament to the mission and model of United Way,” says Jessica Iasparro, director of impact at UWRRV. “We mobilize different public and private entities so our community can thrive! In this instance, we have not created a new entity but, through a collaborative effort, brought an evidence-based, outcome-supported literacy program to Winnebago County, addressing our literacy crisis together.”
To celebrate launching ROR, United Way hosted a lunch-and-learn to provide professional development to early childhood providers. Guest speaker Dipesh Navsaria, MPH, MSLIS, MD, founding medical director of ROR Wisconsin and a leading expert in early literacy and child development, shared his profound insights on the critical first 1,000 days of life and their impact on a child’s future.