Holiday cards featuring children’s unique artwork are now on sale through the Health Science Center’s Reach Out and Read programs. A box of 20 cards is $10 and you can choose from 10 different designs. Proceeds from the card sales will be used to purchase books for the Reach Out and Read programs at the Health Science Center and there are no shipping costs for Health Science Center employees.
Reach Out and Read is a national, nonprofit program that seeks to improve early literacy by intervening with families during their visits to the clinic for well-child check-ups. Children who live in an environment with books and are read to in their preschool years have proven to be more likely to learn to read on schedule. Through the Reach Out and Read program, physicians educate parents about the importance of reading to their children, and offer age-appropriate tips and encouragement. At all well-child check-ups for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, the child is given a new, developmentally appropriate book to take home and keep. Through Reach Out and Read, children are able to start school with a home library of nine children’s books and parents have a better understanding of the importance of reading to their children.
Studies have shown that the Reach Out and Read program can have a positive impact on parents’ behavior and attitude about reading to their children. In addition, there are studies documenting that participation in the Reach Out and Read program can improve the language development of young children.
The Health Science Center has two active Reach Out and Read programs: 1.) The Children’s Health Center and 2.) The PREMIEre Program. The Children’s Health Center is the training clinic for the pediatric residents and provides primary pediatric care to a large population of low-income families. The PREMIEre Program is run by the division of neonatology and provides comprehensive follow-up care for premature infants. These programs distribute approximately 4,000 books per year to San Antonio children. For more information, visit
www.reachoutandread.org.
The holiday card project was made possible by a generous grant from the San Antonio Area Foundation from the Semp Russ Foundation.
To see the holiday card brochure, click on
www.uthscsa.edu/HSCNews/archive/HolidayCards.pdf.
