Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1421870
37 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 25, 2021 Reach Out and Read, Connecticut Reach Out and Read, Connecticut c/o Reach Out and Read, National Center 89 South Street, Suite 201 Boston MA | 02111 | 617-455-0600 | reachoutandread.org/connecticut Reach Out and Read, Connecticut is part of a national nonprofit that serves 4.5 million children annually. We champion the positive effects of reading and engaging in other language-rich activities with young children every day. Reading together furthers language acquisition, promotes brain development, and helps families build powerful, lasting bonds. MISSION: ABOUT US: Year established: 1989 Annual revenues (most recent fiscal year): $1,800,000 Total number of employees: 10 GEOGRAPHIC SERVICE AREA(S): Reach Out and Read serves children and families across the state. TOP FUNDING SOURCES: Government: 61% Grants: 31% Individuals: 8% As a new region (officially formed at the beginning of FY21) we do not have an advisory board yet. WE SERVE: 544 specially trained pediatricians administer Reach Out and Read to approximately 45,000 Connecticut children – age 0 to 5 – as part of their well-childcare. Last year they sent families home with about 80,000 high- quality, new, developmentally and culturally appropriate books for their home libraries. Although all children deserve and benefit from Reach Out and Read, and in fact the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children receive our model of literacy promotion as part of their healthcare, we prioritize the communities and children who need Reach Out and Read the most. Many of our families are low-income and speak a language other than English at home. "Reach Out and Read made a difference to my clinic by allowing us to continue to do one 'normal' thing during the pandemic. It also made a difference to our families. So many of our kids have limited access to books under normal circumstances, the ROR books were the only books that many of these kids read during the pandemic." -- Reach Out and Read Provider, Fair Haven Community Health Care Alexander Chu Executive Director Reach Out and Read, Northeast Meghan Blomberg Northeast Program Director Catherine Wiley, MD Connecticut Medical Director Division Head, Primary Care Services, Connecticut Children's Medical Center Division Chief of General Pediatrics and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine Executive Leadership Team, Connecticut O ur model works. A large body of peer-reviewed research demonstrates that Reach Out and Read has a positive impact on families, children, AND their pediatric providers: ■ Families participating in our program read more with their children. ■ Children exposed to our program have higher receptive and expressive language scores. ■ Participating in Reach Out and Read increases a clinic's developmental screening and enhances provider satisfaction. ■ Giving families advice about the importance of reading with young children AND a book is a more effective program model than just giving a child a book. ■ When health care providers encourage parents to read with their children it is more influential than any other form of parent training or guidance. To learn more, or see the studies cited, please visit our website: https://reachoutandread.org/why- we-matter/the-evidence/ GOALS 1. Financial Sustainability -- Create and maintain a business model across Reach Out and Read, Northeast that fully supports program operations. 2. Equity – Ensure that Reach Out and Read, Northeast consistently targets the program to those who need it most. 3. Regionalization—Fully engage programs throughout our geographic region, taking advantage of economies of scale. 4. Local Partnerships—Build partnerships that amplify our ability to connect with children and families and provide a view into the direct needs of the communities we serve. 5. Systems Change -- Bring the disparate but aligned systems of early childhood education, childcare, and health care together to improve outcomes for young children. 3. Regionalization—Fully engage programs throughout our geographic region, taking advantage of economies of scale. 4. Local Partnerships—Build partnerships that amplify our ability to connect with children and families and provide a view into the direct needs of the communities we serve. 5. Systems Change -- Bring the disparate but aligned systems of early childhood education, childcare, and health care together to improve outcomes for young children. FUNDRAISING EVENTS/ OPPORTUNITIES We currently do not hold any regular fundraising events. We hosted one donor-focused virtual event in 2021 highlighting the release of our first five-year strategic plan. GIVING OPPORTUNITIES There are so many ways to support our work! We launch our year-end giving campaign on Giving Tuesday and encourage supporters to fundraise on our behalf with peer-to-peer campaigns throughout the year (see "Host A Fundraiser" below). ■ Become a monthly donor by joining our Book Buddy program and give a gift that supports our work all year long. ■ Make a one-time donation (Don't forget to see if your employer will match it) ■ Host a fundraiser – celebrate a major life event like a birthday, graduation, or wedding by donating your celebration to Reach Out and Read ■ Remember a book lover by directing in honor/memorial gifts to Reach Out and Read ■ Host a virtual book drive for your friends or group ■ Donate an unwanted vehicle ■ Ask your employer to include Reach Out and Read as a featured nonprofit in their workplace giving program ■ Make a gift from your donor advised fund or a distribution from your 401K – we'd be glad to help you figure out how to do it. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Once Covid-related restrictions have been lifted, you can help support programs in your community by donating new and gently used books that will be distributed to children or available for families to enjoy in literacy-rich waiting rooms. Eventually, we will be able to resume having volunteers read aloud to children at select program sites. You can also encourage your elected representatives to provide support for early education, childcare, and health care programs designed to help families build back stronger from the pandemic. POST PANDEMIC Because it is integrated into medical practices, our program operated throughout the pandemic, even at the height of COVID-19 when other early literacy programs were deemed "non- essential" and closed for months. Our staff continue to work remotely with clinics on site quality assurance and program evaluation efforts. They will do so for the foreseeable future. One significant change organization-wide, given the multitude of pressures the pandemic has placed on families, is an expanded focus on the importance of promoting early relational health and the fact that our program buffers children against the lifelong effects of adverse childhood experiences.