Reach Out and Read serves more than 3.9 million children and families nationwide at 4,779 locations with a total annual budget of less than $30 million. The children served by Reach Out and Read enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed, with a home library of 10 brand-new children's books and highly engaged parents.

An army of volunteers: The Reach Out and Read model is delivered by a team of 30,000 volunteer doctors, nurses, medical staff, and caring adults. Because all Reach Out and Read doctors and nurses volunteer the time they spend on early literacy, the primary cost of the program is the actual children's books.

Low overhead: Reach Out and Read operates within the existing healthcare infrastructure, so it doesn't require 4,700 offices or additional staff members nationwide.

A trusted messenger: Parents trust and value the advice they receive from their child's physician. Reach Out and Read is unique in using a trusted authority figure, in the special setting of the medical visit, to promote a child's learning.

Broad scope and reach: Participating medical providers offer the Reach Out and Read program to all children between 6 months and 5 years of age at each regular checkup.

Hope for educational success: Reach Out and Read explicitly ties reading aloud to later school success; this strategy matches the aspiration that parents have for their children.

Positive reinforcement: By age 1, if there are books at home, children will "demand" to hear them read aloud. The positive, loving attention children receive during story time motivates them to initiate the interaction again and again.

Stretching every dollar: Deep discounts from publishers, as well as an innovative bulk-purchasing program, enable Reach Out and Read to buy more than twice as many books as it could at standard retail pricing.