Reach Out and Read in the Military: Our Military Families Deserve Nothing but the Best!

Reach Out and Read sets the standard for military families by capitalizing on the goal of an enhanced patient-centered medical home which values the partnership between a doctor and a patient. When a military provider talks to parents about the importance of early literacy, the message comes across loud and clear!

Reach Out and Read presents a unique opportunity to support and strengthen military families with young children. Reach Out and Read helps parents understand developmental stages, build routines which reassure children, and develop skills and knowledge that are essential for families being tested by multiple deployments, separation, and reintegration. Reading aloud to children is a proven technique in helping to cope with stress and anxiety.

Early language development is recognized as essential for the healthy development of young children, and Reach Out and Read is the gold standard for promoting this development through a health care setting. More than a decade of peer-reviewed, published research shows Reach Out and Read to be a highly effective school readiness strategy.

Currently 44 military bases worldwide have Reach Out and Read Programs. That adds up to approximately 90,000 children of military families who participate in Reach Out and Read annually (approximately 25% of children of military families eligible worldwide).

The military health care system provides full and systematic primary care for the children of military families. Reach Out and Read has the potential to reach all these children, without building additional infrastructure, through a system parents already know. Reach Out and Read’s goal is to make pediatric early literacy a standard part of care for military families.

Military One Pager

Reach Out and and Read Military Partnerships

ZERO TO THREE: ZERO TO THREE
Sesame Workshop: Sesame Workhop/Talk, Listen, Connect
Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC):MCEC
National Military Family Association:http: NMFA
United Through Reading:http: United Through Reading Military Program

Reach Out and Read partners with with ZERO TO THREE to provide resources to military providers and families.

Reach Out and Read has distributed the ZERO TO THREE books "Over There" and "Coming Home" to all military sites in the last two years. In the future, we hope to be able to offer these books to all Reach Out and Read sites as we work to expand our support to National Guard and Reserves families.

You can see the books at:
ZERO TO THREE

All military sites receive the Sesame Street "Talk, Listen, Connect" kits. The kits include:

- 2 DVD's (Deployments/Homecomings and Changes)
- A Magazine
- A Children's Activity Poster
- 10 fliers for the product

We hope you will be able to use this tool in your waiting room. You can view the product at: Sesame Workshop

You can bulk order up to 20 kits at a time at:
Military OneSource

Military families can order this product on MilitaryOneSource for FREE!!

Reach Out and Read also serves National Guard and Reserve families through our ROR civilian sites.

In conjunction with expanding to serve military families on installations, we recently started a Pilot Project to serve National Guard and Reserve families at existing Reach Out and Read civilian Sites in New Hampshire and North Carolina where there are large concentrations of Guard/Reserve personnel.

Pilot Sites receive materials and resources for both medical providers/site coordinators as well as resources for the military families they may serve.

Resources include:

Discounted book list of titles that address issues children of military families face (relocations, deployments, etc).

Military Child Education Coalition Guard/Reserve Pamphlet. You can access this pamphlet at:MCEC Guard/Reserve Pamphlet

ZERO TO THREE DVD: You can access this DVD at:ZERO TO THREE

ZERO TO THREE Honoring Our Babies and Toddlers: You can access this pamphlet and all the ZERO TO THREE resources at:ZERO TO THREE

Sesame Workshop Materials including: Talk, Listen, Connect Kits and Family Connections, a secure social networking tool. You can view the product at: Sesame Workshop

Military Parent Survey

Click here to access the online survey:
Click Here to take survey

We are currently recruiting members for the Reach Out and Read Military Advisory Board for 2011-2012. If you are interested or would like to nominate someone, please contact Stacie Fredriksson at stacie.fredriksson@reachoutandread.org

Reach Out and Read Military Advisory Board Membership 2009-2010

Katie Alexander
Program Development Consultant
Ivymount School

Joan Patterman Barrett
Program Manager: Contracts, Grants, and Related Projects
Military Child Education Coalition

Patricia Montes Barron
Director Youth Initiatives Department
National Military Families Association

Lee Beers, MD
Director, Healthy Generations Program
Children's National Medical Center

Gregory Blaschke, MD (CAPT, Ret.) MC, USN
Associate Professor Pediatrics
Oregon Health & Science University
Doernbecher Children's Hospital

LtCol. Molinda Chartrand, MD, USAF
Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician
Educational and Developmental Intervention Services

Maj. Eric M. Flake, MD, USAF
Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics

Lynette Fraga
Director, Military Projects
ZERO TO THREE

Lil Ingram, author and National Guard/Reserve advocate
Spouse of the Adjutant General, North Carolina National Guard

Elisabeth Stafford (USA COL, Retired) MD, USA