What We Do
A book is just the beginning.
We provide training, resources, and support.
At Reach Out and Read Michigan, we believe all families should have the tools and information they need to make reading aloud a daily routine. We help integrate reading into pediatric practices, advise families about the importance of reading with their children, and share books that serve as a catalyst for healthy childhood development.
A trusted partner.
Reach Out and Read Michigan’s network of clinicians delivers vital information about the importance of reading at routine pediatric checkups. This means we have unmatched access to families during the years from birth to age five—a period of critical brain development.
Families place deep trust in our pediatric teams, who teach them about the importance of reading together. In the same way, those teams look to us for guidance and support regarding how best to make reading a part of their practice. Informed by National Reach Out and Read, we implement the latest research with fidelity across all RORMi providers, ensuring that each program site benefits from the latest information and the strength of the shared national network.
It’s never too soon to read together.
During well visits, our providers talk with parents about the benefits of reading aloud and sharing with their young children beginning at birth. They show them how to hold books to best engage their children, and how to interact with the text and images to help them follow along. Medical providers share advice for talking about stories with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Clinicians use the book to monitor the child’s development. From flipping pages to eye contact, holding attention to hearing awareness, the book provides a new and valuable diagnostic tool for our community, while families gain a deeper understanding of why they should make reading a daily habit.
A book. A bond. A brighter future.
At the beginning of the visit, each child is given a new, developmentally-appropriate book to take home with them. We offer books in 28 different languages. Books can even be useful for families who don’t read—they are encouraged to talk about the story that the pictures tell.
Many of the families that Reach Out and Read serves do not have any books at home. At the end of the program, every Reach Out and Read child has a home library of books—each given with the advice to families that they are their child’s first and most important teacher. As they read and spend time together, families form lasting connections and children learn new skills that serve them well throughout their lives.
Connect with a Book
Even the simple act of handling books develops school readiness in infants. Additional positive effects of reading together include:
Better recognition of sounds and letters
Knowledge of a wider range of vocabulary
Increased listening skills
A deeper understanding of how stories work
When we read with our young ones, we help grow their curiosity and memory. Stories transport them to places and times they have never experienced, enhancing their understanding of the world. Holding a child close while reading can help them manage moments of anxiety and create a positive association with reading that endures throughout their lives.
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Research
National Reach Out and Read studies the ways children grow, learn, and thrive—and how we can best support their healthy development.
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Family Resources
Our resource library can help you learn more about reading with the children in your life, including what, how, and why to read together.
The Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage provides dedicated and sustainable funding for programs that improve the health, school readiness, and well-being of children under age five in Kent County.
The ongoing goals of the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage are to:
Increase cross-sector collaboration
We will do so by increasing access to quality programming for expecting mothers and children
ages 0-5 in Kent County
Increase cross-sector collaboration
Further the relationship between providers to ensure families are being connected with needed services in the form of a warm handoff through referrals and data sharing
Reduce outcome disparities
Ensuring culturally relevant services that are inclusive of all populations as well as supporting programs that serve traditionally underserved community members based on their racial or ethnic background, zip code of residence, or cultural factors
