Donna Lowry, MD Statement about Expansion

STATEMENT BY DONNA LOWRY, MD, PRESIDENT AND CEO, READY FOR SCHOOL ABOUT THE KENT COUNTY EXPANSION OF REACH OUT AND READ:

LINKING EARLY LITERACY AND HEALTH

As the Reach Out and Read West Michigan Affiliate, Ready for School is leading a new healthcare collaborative to increase early literacy skills by modeling and prescribing reading with young children. Reach Out and Read is a national program to support pediatric clinicians in their efforts to provide families with the tools they need to make reading and storytelling part of their daily routines.

Over 90% of children in West Michigan go to regular well child visits within the first 5 years of life when 90% of the brain is built. Yet, only 17% of eligible Kent County families currently benefit from Reach Out Read. Connecting Reach Out and Read with pediatric care providers through the Kent Ready by Five millage funding will begin to change that. Expansion to 30% of Kent County’s youngest children is a great start to build early literacy skills into family daily routines during the first 1000 days of life.

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For interviews, contact:

Kate Flynn, Chief Development Officer, Ready for School

Office: (616) 834-0515

Cell: (517) 930-6060

kflynn@readyforschool.org