2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT

THIS YEAR, REACH OUT AND READ SERVED
MORE CHILDREN THAN EVER BEFORE.
With your support, our message that reading aloud to infants and toddlers gives them
the best start in life reached 4.5 million children. Together, we helped 1 in 5 families
in the U.S. struggling with a low income. Thank you.
Board of Directors
2014–2015
1 IN 5 LOW-INCOME
FAMILIES REACHED
Dear friends and supporters,
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
I am pleased to present the Reach Out and Read Annual Report
for 2015. This report is a celebration of an exciting year of
growth for Reach Out and Read, and my first message to you,
as Chair of the National Board, is to thank you for being part
of the Reach Out and Read community and helping us to give
more young children a better start to life.
Last year ended with much excitement, as the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a landmark policy statement
promoting literacy as “an essential component of pediatric
primary care.” Significantly, this statement realized a long-term
aim of Reach Out and Read to integrate early literacy promotion
as a routine practice in well-child checkups.
Thomas G. DeWitt, M.D., F.A.A.P., Chair
Director, Division of General and Community Pediatrics
Professor and Associate Chair for Education and Primary Care,
Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of
Medicine
Jay Berkelhamer, M.D., F.A.A.P.
Past President (2006-2007), American Academy of Pediatrics
Senior Medical Staff, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Carol Emig
President, Child Trends, Washington, D.C.
Curtis L. Gray
Senior Vice President, Human Resources & Administration
BAE Systems, Inc., Arlington, VA
Jeremy Hastings
Vice President, Provider Partnerships,
Beacon Health Strategies, Boston, MA
Susan Hildreth, M.L.S., M.B.A
Executive Director, Peninsula Library System, San Mateo, CA
Jo Kirchner
President and CEO, Primrose Schools, Atlanta, GA
Perri Klass, M.D., F.A.A.P., National Medical Director
Professor of Journalism and Pediatrics
New York University, New York, NY
Lisa Lebovitz
Board of Trustees, Meadowbrook School, Weston, MA
Robert LeBuhn
Private Investor, New Providence, NJ/Snowmass Village, CO
Ann M. Logan
Founder and Former Board Chair
Reach Out and Read Colorado, Denver, CO
Dipesh Navsaria, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.L.I.S., F.A.A.P.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Medical Director, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin
Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P., Co-Founder
Professor of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School
of Medicine
Pediatrician, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
Judy Newman
EVP & President, Scholastic Book Clubs & E-Commerce
Scholastic Inc., New York, NY
Catherine Snow, Ph.D.
Patricia Albjerg Graham Professor of Education,
Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA
Benita Somerfield
Chair of the International Committee
of the Library of Congress Literacy Awards
Vice-Chair of the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute
for Lifelong Learning (UIL), New York, NY
Medical Advisory Committee
Dr. Perri Klass, Chair
Dr. Marilyn Augustyn
Dr. Jay Berkelhamer
Dr. Thomas DeWitt
Dr. Benard Dreyer
Dr. Mariana Glusman
Dr. Pamela High
Dr. Alan Mendelsohn
Dr. Dipesh Navsaria
Dr. Robert Needlman
Dr. Lee Sanders
Following on from that, we have continued to give medical providers the information and tools
they need to encourage families to read aloud to their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. I am
pleased to report that 321 additional sites, including 1477 providers, have signed up for the
Reach Out and Read program this year, giving us an annual growth rate of 5%!
This year has also ended on a high note! I am particularly pleased to report some groundbreaking
research funded in part by Reach Out and Read through our Young Investigator Award Program.
In May, Dr. John Hutton, from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, generated interest
in his findings at the Pediatric Academic Societies Conference. In a study using imaging of young
children’s brains he showed for the first time that early reading is associated with foundational
brain activity that is critical for subsequent reading skills. This is compelling neuroscientific
support for the important role interactive reading has in the development of young children.
I hope that you will enjoy reading about our initiatives to expand our reach and effectiveness—
how our program now officially includes babies from birth through 6 months, that we are piloting
an early math component, and that we are developing strategic partnerships that increase the
impact of our work. However, the essence of Reach Out and Read remains the same. I frequently
hear stories from my colleagues like that of single Mom Rosa and 16-month-old Calvin on page
2—about how Reach Out and Read is making a difference for families struggling on a low income.
None of this would be possible without your support, for which we are truly grateful. We have more
work to do to reach more children and families, and look forward to our continued partnership
to help making reading aloud for all families a reality.
Tom DeWitt M.D., F.A.A.P.
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