Kaniksu Health Services introduces literacy program

Getting books from the doctor will soon be a routine part of regular pediatric checkups at Kaniksu Health Services, as doctors and nurses welcome the Reach Out and Read program to the practice. Kaniksu Health Services joins more than 5,000 program sites nationwide that are preparing America’s youngest children to succeed in school.

Doctors, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals incorporate Reach Out and Read’s evidence-based model into regular pediatric checkups, by advising parents about the importance of reading aloud and giving developmentally-appropriate books to children at each well-child visit. They are essentially providing families with “prescriptions to read.”

Reach Out and Read begins at the 6-month checkup and continues through age 5, with a special emphasis on children growing up in low-income communities. Families served by Reach Out and Read read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills, better prepared to achieve their potential.

All of Kaniksu’s pediatric healthcare providers have been trained in the three-part Reach Out and Read model to promote early literacy and school readiness:

- In the exam room, doctors and nurses speak with parents about the importance of reading aloud to their young children every day, and offer age-appropriate tips and encouragement.

- The pediatric primary care provider gives every child 6 months through 5 years old a new, developmentally-appropriate children’s book to take home and keep.

- In the waiting room, displays, information, and books create a literacy-rich environment.

“Reach Out and Read is an efficient and effective concept,” said Reach Out and Read Acting Executive Director Brian Gallagher. “Our doctors and nurses know that the most important thing that parents can do to prepare their children to succeed in school and beyond is to read aloud to them every day. Encouraging parents to stimulate their children’s early language and brain development during regular pediatric checkups is a simple model that has a lasting, invaluable impact on the life of a child.”

Reach Out and Read is a proven intervention that delivers results, and is supported by 15 independent, published research studies. During the preschool years, children served by Reach Out and Read score three to six months ahead of their non-Reach Out and Read peers on vocabulary tests. These foundational language skills help start children on a path of success when they enter school.

“We know that research on early brain development shows that early experiences with books and strong family relationships directly impact brain development and function,” said Kris Kuper, MD, CMO, “and we are excited to be a North Idaho location for the Reach Out and Read program.”

For more information about Reach Out and Read at Kaniksu Health Services Bonners Ferry, Ponderay, Priest River and Sandpoint Pediatric locations, or if you would like to donate funds, please contact Olivia Luther Morlen at 208-263-7101.