About Us

Program Overview

Reach Out and Read Texas prepares our state’s youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together.  Medical professionals incorporate Reach Out and Read’s evidence-based model into regular pediatric checkups by advising parents about the importance of reading aloud and giving developmentally-appropriate books to children.  Reach Out and Read targets families with children between the ages of six months and five years, with a special focus on those growing up in poverty. 

The Need for Reach Out and Read

Reach Out and Read in Texas

Part of a national nonprofit, Reach Out and Read began in Texas in October 1999 as part of First Lady Laura Bush’s Early Childhood Initiative for Texas.  The Texas Coalition is housed within the Children’s Learning Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

The Reach Out and Read Model

The Reach Out and Read program builds upon the unique relationship between parents and their child’s pediatrician.  Each pediatric healthcare provider implementing the program is trained in the following three-part Reach Out and Read model to promote early literacy and school readiness in their practice:

1. In the exam room, doctors and nurses trained in the developmental milestones of early literacy offer anticipatory guidance and age appropriate tips, while encouraging families to read with their children daily.
2. The pediatric healthcare provider gives each child between the ages of six months and five years old a new, developmentally-and-culturally appropriate book to take home and keep.
3. The waiting room of each Reach Out and Read clinic is a literacy-rich environment.  Displays, gently-used books, and literacy information help to reinforce the importance of daily reading.  Where possible, volunteer readers entertain the children while modeling for parents the techniques of reading aloud.