Pediatrics Clinic introduces reading program for Team Vance’s youngest

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VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Getting books from the doctor is a routine part of regular pediatric checkups at the Vance Air Force Base Pediatrics Clinic. Capt. (Dr.) Kimberly Milford and her clinical team have added the "Reach Out and Read" program to the 71st Medical Group here.

Vance joins 4,688 programs nationwide that are preparing America's youngest to succeed in school and is the first Oklahoma military facility to participate.

"This is a great program with proven results and I'm excited to bring it to the Vance Clinic," said Milford. "We are dedicated to our families and want to equip Vance's youngest members with the tools to achieve their full potential before starting formal schooling."

Reach Out and Read is a simple concept featuring three key elements: Volunteers read with children in pediatric clinic waiting areas; pediatricians educate parents about the importance of reading with their children every day; and at every regular checkup children receive a new, age-appropriate book to take home and keep.

Perri Klass, M.D., national medical director of Reach Out and Read, said "Childhood development experts tell us that the most important thing that parents can do to prepare their children to succeed in school is to read aloud to them every day.

"Reading helps expose kids to new words and new worlds, and it helps bring families closer together," said Klass.

Medical research supports that claim, showing that literacy-promoting interventions by pediatricians have a significant effect on parental behaviors, beliefs and attitudes toward reading aloud.

For more than a decade, studies have indicated that parents who get books and literacy counseling from their doctors and nurses are more likely to read to their young children, read to them more often and provide more books in the home.

In addition, children served by Reach Out and Read enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed, with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills.

The program presents a unique opportunity to support and strengthen military families with young children by capitalizing on the goal of an enhanced patient-centered medical home.

The program helps parents understand developmental stages, build routines which reassure children, and develop skills and knowledge that are essential for families being stressed by multiple deployments, separation and reintegration.

For more information, contact the Pediatrics Clinic, 213-7416, or visit www.reachoutandread.org.