admroarnycAugust 13, 2024
The national nonprofit collaborated with Scholastic to bring 350,000 free books to families with young children during well-child visits at Reach Out and Read clinics nationwide
NEW YORK (AUG. 5, 2024) – Thirty-five thousand more free books — from Reach Out and Read’s 35 for 35 collection — will soon be in the hands of young children across New York City, Long Island, and the Greater Hudson Valley.
In May, Reach Out and Read Greater New York was among the first to receive titles from the 35 for 35 children’s book collection, created in honor of Reach Out and Read’s 35th anniversary. The national nonprofit, which promotes early childhood literacy and healthy family relationships, curated the collection with Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company. The 35-book collection celebrates the vibrant communities, inclusive families, and diverse cultures of the tens of millions of children served across the organization’s history.
Reach Out and Read and Scholastic collaborated on this bold, new $1 million collection; 10,000 copies of each of the 35 titles — 350,000 total books — are being shipped in sets to medical clinics nationwide. Reach Out and Read Greater New York, which served more than 250,000 children in FY23, is receiving a second round of books for its clinics. This 35,000 books is in addition to the 87,500 distributed earlier this spring.
“We serve one of the most diverse cities in the United States,” said Emily Marchese, Executive Director of Reach Out and Read Greater New York. “Sharing inclusive, culturally appropriate books with the families we serve is a high priority. This new shipment means we can provide these titles, chosen to feature families and cultures that look like their own, to more than 100,000 children. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate not only Reach Out and Read’s 35th anniversary, but also Greater New York’s 25th.”
The wide-ranging collection features newer voices alongside best-selling authors and literary award winners, including American poet Nikki Giovanni, author and educator Joanna Ho, basketball star Lebron James, and children’s book author Tami Charles. The collection’s titles offer fun and relatable stories kids will want to read again and again and also feature important themes, like culture and identity. (See the full list of books and authors here.)
“Reach Out and Read Greater New York wants parents and their young children to build lifelong bonds over shared reading. To do that, we must provide access to books that authentically mirror their lives or offer a window into others’, which is critical in those early years,” said Marty Martinez, CEO of Reach Out and Read. “We collaborated with Scholastic on this collection because of their reach and their ability to work with publishing partners to include as many titles, authors, and illustrators as possible. Through our network of clinicians, we will now put those meaningful, joyous books in the hands of families who might not otherwise have them.”
Reach Out and Read is working with its Affiliates nationwide to get cartons of the collection — containing each of the 35 books, with stories suitable for kids from birth to 5 — out to clinics across the country. Using the Reach Out and Read model, medical providers will share the books with families with young children at no cost during well-child visits, alongside evidence-based guidance about literacy and nurturing relationships through shared reading.
Research shows Reach Out and Read families read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed, with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills. Positive Childhood Experiences like shared reading have been proven to offset childhood trauma.
Find the wide range of digital content in support of the collection at reachoutandread.org/35.
About Reach Out and Read: As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, Reach Out and Read leverages the near-universal reach of the pediatric well-child visit to support caregivers in fostering healthy relationships with their young children through shared reading. The only national pediatric literacy model endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Reach Out and Read serves 4.4 million children across every state across the U.S., through 6,200 clinics and the expertise of 36,000 clinicians. Discover more at reachoutandread.org.