Reedsburg community makes early literacy a priority

***From left to right:*** Jess McCarlson (Youth Services Librarian, Reedsburg Public Library ), Carey Cracker (Marketing & Volunteer Services Associate, Reedsburg Area Medical Center), Jana Burg (Volunteer, Reedsburg Area Medical Center), Joanna Laukant, MD (Reedsburg Area Medical Center)

Kris Houtler attended a Wisconsin Library Association conference in 2012. It was there that she heard Dipesh Navsaria, MPH, MSLIS, MD, present on Reach Out and Read. Houtler, then an assistant librarian at Reedsburg Public Library, was instantly inspired.

“I knew at that moment I needed to bring Reach Out and Read to Reedsburg, but I could not do it alone,” said Houtler.

Once back from the conference she connected with Joanna Laukant, MD, family practice physician at Reedsburg Area Medical Center (RAMC), the RAMC Marketing Department, and Heidi Feller, a community activist for literacy and children.

With everyone committed to bringing ROR to Reedsburg, the committee started the process to obtain the funding needed to purchase the first year of books, which is a requirement to become a Reach Out and Read site.

“We presented to several civic organizations in the community that pledged contributions to make it happen,” said Houtler. “Since then, the RAMC Foundation has covered the costs to keep ROR a part of the Reedsburg community.”

It took two years after the fateful WLA conference to implement Reach Out and Read at Reedsburg and on November 1, 2014, it became an official ROR site.

Since implementing ROR, Reedsburg Area Medical Center has provided more than 15,000 books at well-child visits of children 6 months to five years old. In 2022, it had 1,866 well-child visits and prescribed 1,700 books.

Books ready to be prescribed to children at Reedsburg Area Medical Center

Reach Out and Read, the only pediatric literacy model endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, has benefits in both early literacy and early relational health. Families that are part of a ROR site are 2.5 times more likely to read together, children have accelerated language development, improved social and emotional development, and much more.

“I am an advocate of it because it is so obvious that reading with kids is important to not only their learning how to read but also their social development and even their fine motor skills,” said Laukant. “It is just so important.”

Laukant continues to be grateful for the long-standing partnerships with the Reedsburg Public Library and the Reedsburg Area Medical Center Foundation.

“It is nice to have the librarian choose the books,” said Laukant. “Some of the books are old classics that I recognize from many, many years ago, and some are newer ones that I am not even up on, but kids recognize them when you give it to them. It’s nice to have someone who is up to date on that.

“It’s great that the RAMC Foundation supports Reach Out and Read and is completely onboard with how important reading is.”

Jess McCarlson is now the youth services librarian at RPL and took over the ROR book ordering duties from Houtler when she retired.

“It is kind of fun as a librarian in having the edge, knowing the quality of books that are out there and getting to order those,” said McCarlson.

She also enjoys that the collaboration extends the library’s mission.

“There are people at RAMC that reach the lives of children and their families that don’t know the library exists,” said McCarlson. “Knowing that, and it being a goal of mine both personally and professionally to improve the lives of children through literature, the partnership means a lot to me.”

The Reedsburg community is truly working to build a world where every child is read to every day.

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About Reach Out and Read: Reach Out and Read is 501(c)3 nonprofit that gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together. As the only evidence-based national pediatric model focused on emotional connections endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Reach Out and Read serves children in all 50 of the United States through 6,000 clinics and 33,000 clinicians. With 281 participating sites in medical clinics across Wisconsin, Reach Out and Read provides more than 170,000 children and families in 56 counties with books and resources to empower parents as their child’s first and best teacher. For more information, visit reachoutandread.org.

January 18, 2019January 18, 2019

Wisconsin Medical Society provides books and grants to Reach Out and Read Wisconsin

ROR project manager Karin Mahony and Wisconsin Medical Society stand with books that were donated in 2017

Since the founding of Reach Out and Read (ROR) Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Medical Society (WMS) has graciously donated hundreds of new books and has provided funding to ROR Wisconsin to make our work possible. WMS is a policy leader and professional development resource for physicians across the state. They are a unified voice for physicians and their mission is to improve the health of people in Wisconsin. Through their grants and book drives to ROR Wisconsin, WMS is advancing its mission by helping to improve the lives of children and families across the state.

With grant funds provided by WMS, ROR clinics have been able to purchase 17,800 new books. These books are given to grateful children across the state during their well-child exams. ROR providers use these books in their exam rooms as tools to measure developmental milestones. This makes the visits more efficient and fun. At the end of the visit, each child 6 months – 5 years leaves the clinic with a new book in hand. Families are encouraged to read every day and enjoy these books over and over again.

Additionally, for the past two years, WMS staff has hosted a book drive to purchase and collect new books that are given to ROR Wisconsin. Since 2017, 275 books have been donated. Most of these books are purchased by WMS staff at Books4School, a local Madison retailer with books for children of all ages. Books4School is open to the public and has books for as low as $1.00!

With the support from WMS, our work is able to continue. We are able to train more providers, launch more programs, assist in maintaining high-quality programs and provide books for children across the state. We are grateful for WMS’s mission and the generosity they’ve shown ROR Wisconsin!

October 19, 2018

There’s still time to support Reach Out and Read Wisconsin’s Advisory Council learning and fundraising event

Last weekend, Reach Out and Read (ROR) Wisconsin’s Advisory Council hosted a learning and fundraising event at 702WI, a creative space in Madison, Wisconsin. ROR Wisconsin donors and guests gathered to learn about the program’s impact on early literacy, clinical care and parent support. Together, they raised hundreds of dollars to keep ROR Wisconsin programming strong throughout the state.

ROR Wisconsin learning and fundraising event — ROR Wisconsin supporters gather to learn more about our work and how they can help

During the event, Dipesh Navsaria, MPH, MSLIS, MD, ROR Wisconsin medical director and Dennis Winters, MS, chief economist for the State of Wisconsin, gave a presentation about the link between high-quality, early interventions like ROR and future economic benefits to the community. For example, every dollar invested in early interventions yields a $7 return on investment to society (Heckman, 2012). Investing in early interventions have shared benefits across sectors. Not only is personal success impacted with better employment opportunities and improved health outcomes but communities as a whole see lower crime rates, less social intervention and higher civil contributions. The business community also sees long-term benefits with a more skilled workforce, higher worker productivity and less employee turnover. To learn more about ROR Wisconsin and our impact please visit our website.

Dipesh Navsaria presents at learning and fundraising event — Dipesh Navsaria, MPH, MSLIS, MD, ROR Wisconsin Medical Director presents to ROR Wisconsin supporters and donors

If you were unable to attend this event, you can still support ROR Wisconsin. Please click here to make a donation today. A gift of just $5 will help provide a local child with a new book and parental support.

Thank you to the in-kind donors who made this event possible: Mary Morgan for the event space, Johnson Public House for coffee and Madison Chocolate Company for chocolates and other treats.

If you would like to receive an invitation to the next ROR Wisconsin event, please email Alex Rogers.

Heckman, J. J. (December 2012). Invest in early childhood development: Reduce deficits, strengthen the economy. Retrieved from: https://heckmanequation.org/assets/2013/07/F_HeckmanDeficitPieceCUSTOM-Generic_052714-3-1.pdf

September 26, 2018

Reach Out and Read Wisconsin Learning and Fundraising event

event invite for Reach Out and Read Wisconsin learning and fundraising event

Come learn about how early literacy builds a baby’s brain infrastructure, as well as economic implications for the well-being of our families, communities, and state.

On Sunday, Oct. 14, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin (ROR) advisory council members are hosting a friendraising and fundraising event. We want to increase awareness about how crucial early language exposure is to a child’s development and the link between high-quality, early intervention and future community economic health.

Join us and bring a friend or neighbor.

Dipesh Navsaria, MPH, MSLIS, MD founding ROR medical director and Dennis Winters, MS, chief economist for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development will give a short presentation and a Q&A session.

The event space is generously being donated by Mary Morgan at 702 Writer Incubator.

Please RSVP to Michele Erikson by Oct. 12.

Can’t make it to the event but want to learn more about our work and impact? Please contact Alex Rogers. To donate to ROR Wisconsin, please click here.

June 20, 2018

Baseball, books and brains

Several families joined Reach Out and Read Wisconsin staff at the Duck Pond on Sunday, June 10 for our annual Madison Mallards fundraiser. The Mallards are a Madison-based collegiate summer baseball team that competes in the Northwoods League. It was a thrilling game, as the Mallards won with a home run in the bottom of the 10^th inning. Tickets sales raised $170 dollars for our statewide literacy program. This money will provide more than 50 books. Children will bring home these books from their doctor’s office to enjoy again and again.

Books build better brains. Children participating in Reach Out and Read have language development scores that are improved by 3-6 months. Last year, more than 109,000 children statewide left their well-child visits with the gift of a new, high-quality book. But there’s more to Reach Out and Read Wisconsin than just those books.

Behind the baseball and the books, our program:

Is a two-generational clinical intervention that supports parent-child bonding, early brain development and a life-long love of learning
Has almost unparalleled access to children through medical clinics (nearly 90% of all young children see a healthcare provider at least annually for a check-up), supporting families through the trusted voice of their medical provider
Is incredibly cost-effective, as the implementation is embedded in the existing health systems
Is growing quickly, at the rate of 30 clinics a year (more than 20 clinics have initiated applications since the beginning of 2018!)

If you were unable to attend the Mallards game but would like to support our work, please use the button below! Thank you for giving more Wisconsin children the opportunity to reach out and read.

people in bleachers at madison mallards fundraiser — Friends and supporters of Reach Out and Read Wisconsin at the Madison Mallards game

April 25, 2018

Unique way to support Reach Out and Read Wisconsin this week

Reach Out and Read Wisconsin (ROR) is excited to have been chosen by Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) as their spring membership drive’s thank you gift. When you make a monthly pledge of $10 or more to WPR, you are eligible to select the ROR thank you gift, which provides three new, high quality and developmentally appropriate books for young children throughout Wisconsin. The drive runs from Tuesday through Saturday this week.

4 reasons why you should donate this week:

ROR Wisconsin programs work with kids ages 6 months to 5 years. Providing books during this time delivers the most impact because it’s when their brains are growing most rapidly! 95% of the brain is developed by age 6.
Support medical providers as they build parents’ skills by talking about practical ways to read aloud with their kids and early literacy’s impact on future development.
ROR Wisconsin’s impact is statewide so the books you buy will help communities throughout Wisconsin.
WPR typically spends 10% of your donation on thank you gifts. By selecting the ROR thank you gift, WPR is only spending 6.7% of your donation. This means more of your money stays with WPR to help support high quality radio programming.

Donate to WPR and give books to kids through Reach Out and Read. Your gift makes a difference

Interested in making a pledge? Click here. Thank you.

To learn more about ROR Wisconsin and the impact of our work, please visit our website.