Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation supports Reach Out and Read at CFHC

February 8, 2008

Chicago Family Health Center has received funding from the Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation to support the Reach Out and Read program. Reach Out and Read promotes early literacy by bringing new books and advice about the importance of reading aloud into the pediatric exam room. Funding from Blowitz-Ridgeway will allow Chicago Family Health Center to purchase and distribute more than 2,500 children’s books.

“At Chicago Family Health Center, the Reach Out and Read program is a valuable tool that allows us to provide books to children whose families may not be able to afford them otherwise,” said Wendy Cox, CEO of Chicago Family Health Center.

The Reach Out and Read program provides new culturally and developmentally appropriate children's books during early well-child checkup visits. When these visits occur between the ages of six months and five years, the doctor uses a favorite children’s book to educate the caregiver on the importance of literacy development — making it as important as immunizations and physical growth. Each child receives a new book, and parents receive written prescriptions that include instructions on reading aloud to the child every day. By the time the child starts school, he or she will have a small library of books and a real appreciation for reading — an important first step in succeeding in school and later in life.