Tag: Reach Out and Read Wisconsin

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DeDe Williams named executive director

DeDe Williams was named executive director in May 2023.

Following a statewide search, Reach Out and Read has named Azure’De (DeDe) Williams the next executive director for its Wisconsin affiliate.

Williams began her tenure on May 30, following the retirement of Karin Mahony.

Williams received a Bachelor of Science degree in behavioral science & law and a criminal justice certificate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Williams has more than 25 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector identifying two areas she felt most impacted quality of life: health and education. Williams has used her skills in program development, civic engagement, and program evaluation to support efforts in addressing health disparities and achievement gaps. 

Under her leadership at the American Heart Association, she received several awards including the Cass Wheeler Integration Team Award for her leadership on health equity initiatives and improving hospital care and outcomes for minority and underserved populations. Williams developed systematic plans to increase referrals, improve access to treatment, and leverage better data sharing to improve hypertension outcomes. Williams’ involvement with the ASTHO Million Hearts via partnerships with public and private stakeholders to implement “Creating Community Clinical Linkages to Reduce Disparities in Hypertension Identification and Control” resulted in the delivery of core AHA messaging and services to 200,000 constituents in 2016.

More recently, Williams received the 2021 Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) President’s Award for her exemplary community-engaged work with MCW and partners during her tenure as executive director for the Milwaukee Area Health Education Center. By energetically translating mission and goals into operating plans with clear benchmarks and annual objectives, she successfully restructured the 30-year-old organization to align with contemporary market and educational needs of future health workforce projections.

Williams is ardent about community service. She loves to spend time teaching young athletes the fundamentals of basketball and teamwork, and has four children – ages 20, 16, 14 and 10 – who are often seen accompanying her on volunteer-related and community service projects. In her spare time, Williams enjoys filling up the pages of her passport.

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Providing Diverse and Inclusive Books at Reach Out and Read Clinics

stack of books

This year, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin is placing a renewed focus on the importance of representation, diversity, and inclusion in the books clinics order for their well-child visits. To accomplish this goal, we are working on many levels:

  • Serving on the Reach Out and Read National Center book committee to voice our desire to increase the options for more affordable, diverse books for clinics to order
  • Providing book recommendations in our bi-weekly newsletter that celebrate and create diverse readers
  • Fundraising for the Windows and Mirrors initiative
  • Sharing resources like the Diverse and Inclusive book list from Reach Out and Read and the American Academy of Pediatrics
  • Ongoing conversations at Reach Out and Read Wisconsin site visits about the importance of  ordering a variety of books even if your primary patient population is English speaking and White.

Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin has already taken this mission to heart and is providing diverse books to all families served at it’s six Madison-area clinics. Recently, one of their providers, Megan Gendel, NP, and system’s Reach Out and Read coordinator shared why ordering diverse books was important to them, even though most of the population they serve is predominantly White and English speaking.

“As a provider here, I really feel it’s important for us to make sure we have diversity in books, actually even more important in some respects so our families and our children that we serve are seeing different aspects of life through literature,” said Gendel.

They also shared some tips for ordering diverse books:

  • The clinic coordinator may not always know the families being seen in the clinic. Ask the providers about the family dynamics. For instance, ordering books that show kids being raised by grandparents, stepparents, single parents, gay and lesbian parents, are refugees or are part of mixed-race families.
  • Share bilingual books with English speaking families as well. Celebrate the joy of other cultures.
  • Be mindful of gender stereotypes when ordering books. Some favorite classics (and even some new books) may not best reflect current trends.

The full webinar can be accessed here.

Books are a wonderful tool that allow kids to see themselves in the story while also providing opportunities to learn about others and their experiences. We believe all kids should be represented in books and have the opportunity to learn empathy and kindness for others via the books clinics provide.

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Reach Out and Read + COVID-19: Dr. Leyla Hamizadeh Explains Virtual Well-Child Visits

Dr. Hamizadeh

The image of a well-child visit with your child’s provider is simple: you go to the clinic, the provider provides anticipatory guidance and advice, checks your child’s developmental progress and whether they need any immunizations, and you take care of any additional follow-up as needed. But because of COVID-19, these visits have looked much different.

Leyla Hamizadeh, M.D., pediatrician at Children’s Wisconsin, conducted well-child visits virtually as Wisconsin’s Safer-At-Home order was in place. The visits may have looked different and involved no physical contact, but the information covered and messages given to families remained just as important.

“We’ve never done virtual visits prior to the pandemic, so it was definitely something new,” Dr. Hamizadeh said. “For our visits we covered topics such as concerns the parent might have, nutrition, sleep, vaccines the child was due for, the importance of reading while at home and more.”

Dr. Hamizadeh conducted well-child visits for children ages 4 to 18 months via video chat or phone call and covered typical health topics. The video visits allowed Dr. Hamizadeh to see the children and help out parents by answering questions and providing information and encouragement.

While pediatric primary care clinics begin to transition back to in-person appointments, one of the key messages remain strong: the importance of promoting early literacy.

“Many children are learning at home as schools and childcare centers remain closed, and it’s crucial to limit screen time and continue reading,” explains Dr. Hamizadeh. “Reading to young children helps them with cognitive development, but it can act as a breath of fresh air for parents, too.”

“We promote daily reading from an early age to help language development and to help children learn to have a life-long love of reading. Reading is especially important now because there’s elevated levels of stress for both parents and children, and reading is a great way to reduce that stress while creating a stronger bond between children and parents.”

Starting and ending a day with reading can guarantee that the day will both begin and end in a positive way.  In uncertain times, reading with children is a way to produce smiles, laughs and creativity in otherwise stressful situations.

Dr. Hamizadeh also wants parents to know that it’s OK to feel stressed and overwhelmed. It’s OK to not meet every expectation, it’s OK to not keep a regular scheduled every day and it’s OK to take some time for yourself.

When many things feel confusing and stressful, reading a book to a child is a much needed, sweet escape. As Children’s Wisconsin begins to transition back to in-person visits, Dr. Hamizadeh is looking forward to one thing that she’s missed so dearly: Handing a book to a smiling, young child.

Reach Out and Read Wisconsin by the Numbers

266: Participating clinics in Wisconsin

1,850: Participating medical providers

159,000: Children served

235,000: New books distributed

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10 facts about Reach Out and Read Wisconsin

As we continue to celebrate our 10th anniversary throughout this year, we thought it would be fun to share 10 facts about Reach Out and Read Wisconsin.

  1. Since 2010, there has been more than a 400% growth in participating clinics. We have experienced amazing growth since our affiliate started in 2010! Today, more than a third of Wisconsin clinics that provide pediatric primary care partner with Reach Out and Read Wisconsin.

2. Currently, 265 clinics across the state leverage books and conversations about reading aloud to promote positive caregiver-child interactions that foster healthy brain development in the critical first years of life.

Find a participating clinic near you!

3. At those 265 clinics, 1,850 providers are trained on our evidence-based model to give parents supportive, encouraging and positive advice for how to incorporate reading aloud into their daily routines and how parents are their child’s first (and best) teacher.

Example: When reading together, don’t worry about reading every word on the page —your child will enjoy talking about and discussing the pictures, and that’s just fine.

4. Reach Out and Read Wisconsin clinics have collectively completed an astonishing 1,839,149 well-child visits since 2010.

5. Since 2010, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin clinics have given more than 1 million books to children ages 6 months to 5 years, — 1,232,700 to be exact!

6. Since 2010, 31,693 new and 12,097 gently-used books have been donated to Reach Out and Read Wisconsin. These books are delivered to clinics across the state to give out at their well-child visits or in their waiting rooms, to siblings or in a clinic’s Little Free Libraries.

If you are interested in donating books, our virtual book drive is a great way to help while respecting social distancing.

7. In 2017, then – State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Evers, awarded Reach Out and Read Wisconsin with a Friend of Education award. We were recognized for making outstanding contributions to Wisconsin’s children.

ROR Wisconsin team with Friend of Education award

In 2018, Wisconsin Literacy presented Reach Out and Read with the Outstanding Achievement in Family Literacy award during their Celebration of Literacy.

Wisconsin Literacy's Achievement in Family Literacy award presented to Reach Out and Read Wisconsin

8. Reach Out and Read Wisconsin is the early literacy initiative of Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin, a program under Children’s Wisconsin.

The Alliance is made up of seven health initiatives focused on improving children’s health throughout Wisconsin. In 2019, the Alliance celebrated 25 years of being Wisconsin’s voice for children’s health!

Children's Health Alliance of Wisconsin staff at Miller Park
The Alliance staff at our annual retreat at Miller Park!

9. Since 2012, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin has hosted an annual, day-long meeting to bring together clinics and community partners. This event focuses on education related to early literacy, celebration of the work all the clinics across the state are doing and provides a networking opportunity for participating clinics.  More than 360 people have attended since our first meeting.

If you are interested in attending this year’s event, visit our Eventbrite page to learn more.

2019 Reach Out and Read Wisconsin Annual Meeting
Presentation at Reach Out and Read Wisconsin’s 2019 annual meeting

10. In 2010, when Reach Out and Read Wisconsin was founded we were one of the smallest affiliates in the nation. Today, we are the 5th largest affiliate in the Reach Out and Read network.

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Online resources for families during COVID-19

As families across the state practice #SaferAtHome and cope with the unexpected epidemic of COVID-19, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin wants to add our voice to the mix and provide a list of online activities for children and families. We recognize how stressful this time can be for parents and kids, and we hope this list of resources encourages exploration, learning, creativity, social connection and a little bit of fun.

We believe that the Reach Out and Read mission is as powerful and as important as ever during these challenging times. One of the best ways parents can engage with their children and foster their child’s development is through daily interactions like reading aloud, talking, singing and playing. Many parents are now juggling working from home in addition to family responsibilities, caring for relatives and balancing self-care. We want to help you make the most of your time together as a family and provide reputable, educational options for kids who may not be in school.

Parents reading a book to toddler

Educational videos and resources for children
• Brain Pop educational videos for kids
• National Geographic for Kids
• Lunch Doodles with children’s author Mo Willems
• Reach Out and Read combined resources from National Center
• Virtual children book readings – separated by ages

Live streams of animals from around the world
 • Monterrey Bay Aquarium
• Houston Zoo
• Tembe Elephant Park KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Resources for parents and adults (some may be appropriate for families to share together)

Video chat with family and friends
• FaceTime: allows multiple iPhone users to video chat (everyone must have iPhone)
• Skype: allows up to 50 people for video calls
• Zoom: set up a free zoom account to video chat
Note: Please allow for a little extra time before the first call to download the software on to your computer.

Stream movies and shows with friends/family:
• Netflix Party: Only for Google Chrome on laptops and desktop computers
• Hulu with Me: Works with Google Chrome and Firefox

Online games for older kids and adults
• Telestrations game
• GamePigeon games
o Play games like Uno, Battleship and more with the free Game Pigeon app. Only available for Apple iPhone and iPad
• Zoom: Use the “whiteboard” feature in screen sharing mode to play games like Hangman
• Jigsaw puzzles: Invite friends/family to work on a jigsaw puzzle together
• Crossword puzzles

• Duolingo, learn a new language. Available for Apple, Android and online

Online concerts
• Instagram live concerts – check out this article for upcoming artist performances on Instagram
• NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series
• YouTube’s #TogetherAtHome series

Self-care
• Information about handling stress and anxiety from the CDC
• Live, guided meditations every day at 3 p.m. EST from Ten Percent Happier
• Check out this article from Good Housekeeping for 25+ free, live stream workouts from gyms like Orangetheory and Barry’s

Please remember this is an unprecedented event and it is okay to feel a mix of emotions each day. Be kind to yourself and remember, we are all in this together!

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10 year timeline of Reach Out and Read Wisconsin [Infographic]

2020 marks the 10th anniversary of Reach Out and Read Wisconsin. Before the founding of our state affiliate, 55 clinics were already operating and serving young children. Now, 10 years later, the program has experienced 400% growth in the number of clinics implementing Reach Out and Read throughout the state. Moving forward, our goal is to bring Reach Out and Read to every clinic providing primary care to children in Wisconsin.

A lot has happened in the last 10 years, and we are excited for what the next 10 will bring!

infographic showing past 10 years of Reach Out and Read Wisconsin

Do you have a Reach Out and Read Wisconsin memory? Share with us in the comments section below.

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Reach Out and Read Wisconsin receives 25,000 book donation

Friday, January 24, 2020, was a big day for the Vel R. Phillips Youth and Family Justice Center and Reach Out and Read Wisconsin. In partnership with City of Milwaukee’s Office of Early Childhood Initiatives, Too Small to Fail, an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, unveiled a Family Read, Play and Learn space at the Justice Center in Milwaukee.

The child literacy space in the family court waiting area at the Justice Center is the first of its kind in the nation created by Too Small to Fail. The literacy space is part of their larger program to raise awareness about the importance of early literacy, brain development and early learning. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Ms. Clinton chatted with parents, read to several children and then participated in a community forum. Additional panel participants sharing their messages of the importance of early literacy promotion and power of collaboration were Dea Wright, Director of the City of Milwaukee Office of Early Childhood; Tom Barrett, Milwaukee Mayor; Maxine White, Chief Judge of Milwaukee County; Ramona Gonzales, President of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges; Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation and Dipesh Navsaria, MPH, MSLIS, MD, Medical Director of Reach Out and Read Wisconsin.

Spaces like the one at the Justice Center are designed to meet parents where they are and help them make the most of everyday moments that can have a big impact on their child’s development. Too Small to Fail has worked to create similar spaces at laundry mats, including one in Milwaukee and playgrounds across the country. The spaces provide a much-needed early learning environment, according to Ms. Clinton.

“A fundamental test for our country is whether or not we can make early learning available and real to all kids and families,” she said.

After the event at the Justice Center, Ms. Clinton and other representatives from Too Small to Fail visited Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, Chavez Clinic. Chavez Clinic was one of the first clinics to launch a Reach Out and Read program in Wisconsin. In their more than 20 years of participation in the evidence-based, clinical intervention, more than 100,000 books have been given to children in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. The now four participating Sixteenth Street Clinics serve more than 10,000 young children each year. Emilia Aranda, MD Director of Pediatrics for Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers and Reach Out and Read Wisconsin advisory council member, provided a tour of the pediatrics clinic for Ms. Clinton. Afterward, Ms. Clinton read to a group of children and took pictures with Chavez Clinic staff.

In celebration of their five years of collaboration with Reach Out and Read National Center to advance early literacy and promote early brain development, Too Small to Fail has donated 25,000 copies of the bilingual book DJ’s Busy Day to Reach Out and Read Wisconsin.

These books will be delivered to Reach Out and Read participating clinics throughout the state in the upcoming months. In the meantime, a special thank you goes out to Books4School for storing the books until they are delivered.

Reach Out and Read Wisconsin staff with Chelsea Clinton of Too Small to Fail
Reach Out and Read Wisconsin team with Chelsea Clinton at the Chavez Clinic
Clinic coordinators from Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers and Chelsea Clinton
Clinic coordinators from Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers and Chelsea Clinton
Ms. Clinton reads aloud at the Chavez Clinic to young children
Ms. Clinton reads aloud at the Chavez Clinic
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Family Medicine Clinic Adopts a Program for the Books

This article originally appeared in the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants’ April 2019 newsletter and is reprinted with permission from the organization.

Clinically-practicing certified physician assistant Joanna Hebgen is doing her part to change the lives of children through a simple-yet-effective method: books. 

At the SSM Health Family Medicine Clinic in Oregon, Wisconsin, Hebgen implemented the Reach Out and Read program, which strives to incorporate books into the daily lives of children and encourages families to read aloud together. 

Staff members including Physician Assistant of SSM Health Oregon clinic at Wellness Expo showcasing their Reach Out and Read program
SSM Health Dean Medical Group Oregon staff at the Oregon Wellness Expo

The clinic has distributed more than 450 children’s books and created a literacy-friendly waiting area and exam rooms. By adding books and comfy, child-size chairs, children can relax and read before their appointments. 

During wellness visits, providers give each child a book they can take home. Upon presenting the book, providers can observe the child’s and parent’s reactions, which offers insight about the child’s development and the parent’s comfort with reading to the child.  It also paves the way for discussion about the importance of daily reading. 

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), benefits from reading can begin as early as infancy. Kids who are read to regularly have a stronger bond with their parents and learn valuable language and literacy skills. Reading also improves their social, vocabulary, and writing skills, and it can make kids kinder and more empathetic individuals as they grow.

“I love giving out books that I read as a child and also read to my children,” said Joanna Bisgrove, MD. “Parents and kids love the books. I find that the book is a good way to calm a child during an appointment and build rapport with both the children and parents.”

The clinic’s interprofessional staff all contributed to the program’s success, dedicating an estimated 40 hours to the project last year. Three staff members attended the annual Reach Out and Read conference to share experiences with others implementing the program. 

Additionally, the clinic participated in the Oregon Wellness Expo, a free event for families to visit local wellness vendors. Clinic volunteers distributed free books to kids and network within their community.

Due to the program’s overwhelming success, SSM Health plans to make the Reach Out and Read program available at their 25 family medicine and pediatrics clinics in Wisconsin; and funding for the books will be included in the annual budget.

“’Reach Out and Read makes appointments fun.” said Bisgrove.

This project was funded in-part by the NCCPA Health Foundation’s Be the CHANGE grant. Learn more about the Foundation’s grant programs here.

young boys read books aloud together
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Reach Out and Read Wisconsin’s first legislative visit of 2019

On April 22, the ThedaCare Physicians Pediatrics Neenah clinic hosted a legislative visit with State Representative Mike Rohrkaste. During the visit, Rep. Rohrkaste learned about Reach Out and Read Wisconsin and read aloud to a group of children from the Neenah and Menasha communities. The children’s excitement was evident as the representative read From Head to Toe while they acted out the actions described on each page. 

Wisconsin state representative Rohrkaste reads aloud at medical clinic
Rep. Rohrkaste reading aloud from Dog Breath: The Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis.
Wisconsin state representative Rohrkaste with children and families at ThedaCare clinic
Rep. Rohrkaste with children and parents after the reading
Rep Rohrkaste and Reach Out and Read Wisconsin staff and partners including Appleton Public Library
Reach Out and Read Wisconsin community partners, including United Way Fox Cities and Appleton Public Library, were also in attendance

Following the reading, Dr. Eileen Jekot, the clinic’s Reach Out and Read medical champion, led Rep. Rohrkaste on a tour of the clinic. Dr. Jekot talked about the program’s positive impact on her patients and their families, and how it has changed the way she practices medicine for the better. Since 2016, the ThedaCare Physicians Pediatrics Neenah clinic has given more than 7,300 books to children ages 6 months through 5 years.

Reach Out and Read Wisconsin is grateful for the opportunity to bring together legislators, the medical community and community organizations to promote, educate and engage around early literacy and children’s health.

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Every parent is their child’s first and best teacher

As an early literacy librarian, I see 50-100 parents and young children at my birth to 2-year-old storytime every Monday morning. Some parents come to get out of the house, socialize with other grown-ups, or give their child a chance to socialize with other babies their age. Some parents might know that storytime is a great place for their child to learn early literacy skills while others come simply because their child enjoys the books, songs and rhymes.

Many parents look to me as one of their child’s first teachers, but a child’s first and most important teacher is their parent.

parents reading to their child

Some parents don’t realize this or don’t feel confident in their ability to be a teacher. Teaching your child early literacy skills isn’t as daunting as it may sound. Storytimes are the perfect opportunity for librarians to model simple strategies that parents can use to help their child develop early literacy skills. We use strategies based on the American Library Association’s Every Child Ready to Read initiative, which includes:

1. Talking: Talking is important because language is the foundational skill that leads to academic and life success. Children with larger vocabularies do better in school. The best way for kids to learn new words is by including them in every day conversations. This is one of the easiest strategies. You simply talk to your child. Encouraging babies to babble, practicing nursery rhymes and asking your child open-ended questions are great ways to focus on this strategy.

2. Writing: Writing is important because it is directly related to reading skills and helps improve fine motor skills. Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting that your baby sit down and write the next great American novel. Strong fine motor skills support the development of future writing skills. Grabbing toys, stacking blocks and playing with Play-Doh are all great ways to work on writing skills.

3. Reading: Reading is important because so many of our daily activities require the ability to read. Some parents think that their baby is too young to be read to, but this is not the case. You can start reading to your child starting at birth. At first babies will seem to play with books more than look at them, but that is perfectly fine. This will allow them to get comfortable with books and learn skills such as turning pages. It’s important for parents to make reading part of their daily routine so their child can continue to improve their literacy skills and develop a love of reading.

4. Playing: Playing is important because it helps children develop fine and gross motor skills, imagination, and creativity. Children can discover so much about the world around themselves simply by playing and exploring. Babies can start playing during tummy time by placing toys in front of them to look at and reach for. As children get older they learn to play with others and to use their imagination by playing pretend.

5. Singing: Singing is important because it helps break words down into syllables that are easier for babies to understand and remember. Many parents are intimidated by singing because they feel silly or think they have a bad voice. Luckily babies don’t care what your voice sounds like; they just like hearing singing. You can sing lullabies, kid’s songs (If You’re Happy and You Know It, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, ABC’s etc.), your favorite songs from the radio, or even make up songs. Listening to music in the car or around the house is another way for children to learn new words and sounds.  

It is important that parents feel empowered in this role as their child’s first and best teacher. Early literacy librarians and Reach Out and Read medical providers want parents to know they already have the power to make a difference in their child’s life. We are here to provide extra support and guidance to assist parents as they help their children achieve their full potential.

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