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Posted in: Impact Stories, Our Partners
Dr. Faye Kokotos, a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Montefiore, recently described well-child visits during COVID-19 as an anxiety-ridden experience: “The waiting room is eerily quiet; the children are whisked into an examination room quickly. All the staff are wearing face masks.” In spite of this acknowledgment of the challenges and uncertainties of the present day,she described the one clear source of joy that has remained:
The only familiar and normal part of the visit is the Reach Out and Read book that is given. The message, the comfort, and the support that the program provides is so critical during this crisis.
AtReach Out and Read of Greater New York, we partner with health care providers like Dr. Kokotos to put books and literacy resources in the hands of children and their caregivers. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we've been hard at work hostingbilingual virtual read aloudsand26 parent support workshops, helping addressthe risky decline in pediatric vaccination rates, as well as collaborating closely with our 233 pediatric partner sites to ensure no interruptions to a consistent stream of books for families most in need (highlighting the health heroesalong the way!).
Much like nonprofits across the world, “pivot” has been the word of the year. Beyond shifting to virtual mission delivery, we moved out of our administrative office space, opting for a fully remote operation which allows us to cut expenses and drive every penny towards our community.As we made each of these critical decisions to prioritize our mission, we received some good news: a $65,000 matching grant from First Book.
This support made all the difference in our ability to deliver
We like to say thatwhen children learn to read, their own stories begin.Without books that reflect the lived experience ofBlack lives, Indigenous experiences, LGBTQI, gender expression, and other facets of identity, we would not be able to truly fulfill our mission and give young children a foundation for success. We want to see change, and we know families do, too. According to the 6th EditionScholastic Kids & Family Reading Report, 47% of parents want books featuring people of color, and evenNetflixis getting on board.
Just like every other industry - demand will inform supply. First Book’s support allows us to balance the need for cost-effective decisions and the importance of representation, ensuring that we get as many books into the hands of families as we can, while simultaneously ensuring that the selection includes authors of color, quality books that spark critical conversations, and illustrations that celebrate a range of identities. All in all, we’re able to offer a safe space in our books for children to see themselves in the books they read.
As Dr. Rufine Sims Bishop - children’s literature and recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award once said:
"Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of a larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books."
The stories we tell today shape the future we’ll have tomorrow. Reach Out and Read of Greater New York is proud to stand alongside First Book in shaping a better future together. We know the action we taketodaycreates the world we all inhabittomorrow, and hope you’lljoin us.