"Two out of every ten low-income Maryland children are not ready for kindergarten". As a pediatrician, you have the power to change this one book and one child at a time.
As of today, 88 practices have taken up this challenge by enrolling in the Reach Out and Read (ROR) program through the MDAAP. Reach Out and Read is a national
non-profit organization that promotes early literacy by making books a routine part of pediatric care. ROR trains doctors and nurses to advise
parents about the importance of reading aloud to their children. The program also gives books to children at pediatric check-ups from six months
to five years of age, with special focus on children growing up in poverty. By building on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers,
ROR helps families and communities encourage early literacy skills so children enter school prepared for success in reading and life.
Thanks to all of these practices,an additional 101,715 children in Maryland are getting an opportunity to be more fully ready to enter Kindergarten.