Patricia RollinsApril 21, 2022
New York, NY, May 2, 2022 – As a local, community-based school, Columbus Pre-School has created opportunities to engage with their neighborhood in tangible ways. Their hope is that as their community continues to grow, so do their community service efforts, and through their active engagement, they help create service-minded students who move on from Columbus Pre-School as generous community members.
Since September 2012, the Harlem Health Center has been a program site for Reach Out and Read of Greater New York (ROR GNY). Using ROR GNY’s evidence-based model, the medical professionals at the Harlem Health Center incorporate brand new books and early literacy guidance into pediatric care for children up to five years old.
Throughout March of 2022, the families at Columbus Pre-School set a goal to sponsor all of the book needs for the Harlem Health Center, which welcomes over 150 children annually during their wellness check-ups. On top of fundraising for the programmatic needs of this site, the families at Columbus Pre-School collected over 200 new, developmentally appropriate books, and the students created handmade bookmarks to be given out to their peers in the community through the Harlem Health Center.
With the support of the Columbus Pre-School, the Harlem Health Center will have all of their book needs fulfilled to introduce a new book to every child who enters their Center over the course of the next twelve months.
About Reach Out and Read of Greater New York
Reach Out and Read of Greater New York gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together. We provide books and training to over 230 Reach Out and Read programs in predominantly low-income communities in New York City, Long Island, and the Greater Hudson Valley. The program is built on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop essential early literacy skills in young children via the existing health infrastructure. Our program is a proven intervention, supported by 15 independent, peer reviewed research studies. Studies were published in renowned journals including Clinical Pediatrics, Journal of the National Medical Association, and Pediatrics. Follow RORGNY on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. To donate or learn more about Reach Out and Read of Greater New York, visit, reachoutandreadnyc.org.
About Columbus Pre-School
Columbus Pre-School is a learning environment that nurtures and respects the different gifts and variety in learning styles that each child brings to the classroom community.
Our philosophy is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to education, where teachers respect each child individually and help them be the authors of their own learning.
ROR GNY Media Contact:
Kari Kurjiaka
kkurjiaka@reachoutandreadnyc.org
Columbus Pre-School Media Contact:
Kiah Gluck
Kiah@ColumbusPre-School.com