About Reach Out and Read Minnesota

Reach Out and Read (ROR) got a foothold in Minnesota in 1997 when 3 clinics joined the ranks. There were 6 clinics in 2002; 9 in 2003; 15 in 2004; 31 in 2005; 33 in 2006; 37 clinical locations as of March 1, 2007.

Fiscal Year 2007, which runs from July 1st 2006 through June 30th of this year is going to be another banner year. So far the Duluth Clinic in Virginia, the Native American Community Clinic in Minneapolis, the Grand Itasca Clinic in Grand Rapids and CentraCare in St Cloud have all become new ROR affiliates, increasing ROR’s reach to another 6,138 children.

ROR’s statewide impact has increased 37% since the first quarter of 2006, with a total of more than 25,000 children participating in 37 clinical locations. ROR reaches 7% of all Minnesota children (in the target ROR age range of 6 months to 5 years), 14% of all low-income children in the state.

What’s caused the growth? A $10 million grant from the federal government for FY05 allowed the ROR National Center to hire state-level coordinators to recruit new sites and support existing ones. Some of those federal funds made their way to Minnesota to form the ROR-Minnesota Coalition in December 2005. Additionally, Qwest donated funds for the specific purpose of developing the coalition and helping us purchase books for our sites.

Reach Out and Read has evolved into a national model for early childhood literacy and is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Minnesota Chapter serves as the fiscal sponsor of ROR-Minnesota.

Coalition Announcements

On May 8, 2006 to spotlight a generous donation to the ROR Minnesota Coalition and celebrate the newest program in Minneapolis, John Stanoch, President of Qwest Minnesota, read to children at North Point Health and Wellness Center.

As of April 15, 2007, more than a dozen clinics in Minnesota are in various stages of the ROR application process. Five are in the metro area and eight are in greater Minnesota.

There is funding of $10 million for Reach Out and Read nationwide in President Bush’s FY08 federal budget. There are currently 41 senators that have signed a letter supporting the appropriation and Minnesota is one of only 12 states in which both senators have signed. Kudos to Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar for their enthusiastic support of ROR!

The list of Minnesotans in the House of Representatives who are ROR fans includes: Jim Ramstad (3rd District), Betty McCollum (4th District), Keith Ellison (5th District), Collin Peterson (7th District) and James Oberstar (8th District).

Advisory Board Members

Laurel Wills, MD
Coalition Medical Director
Hennepin County Medical Center

Sloan d'Autremont, MD
Advisory Board Chair
Hennepin Faculty Associates Pediatrics

Gerald Gilchrist, MD
Advisory Board Member
retired, Mayo Clinic

Kathie Cerra, PhD
Advisory Board Member
Reading Specialist

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