By: Callee Boulware, Executive Director

Reading, routines, and resilience.  Hugs, snuggles, and stories.  These simple moments bolster our hearts and minds, children and adults alike. As a community, we are working to through COVID-19.  As an organization, Reach Out and Read is helping families thrive through COVID-19. We are pulling together in new and profound ways.  We are embracing family, friends, and a shared community. We are remembering the things that matter the very most.

The Reach Out and Read provider community is the heart of our work. Providers are still caring for and supporting families, and as such, Reach Out and Read staff are still here to help make those interactions rich with the parent engagement support we know families need. More than ever, families are relying on the best practices they have been taught to integrate into their days to help their children feel secure and to create normalcy, building resilience in this time of turmoil. The continuity provided by daily reading together and snuggles with caring and responsive adults help children and families not just survive the pandemic, but continue to thrive as a family.

Though check-ups may look a little different right now, Reach Out and Read, and the trusted voice of the provider, is as important as ever.  We continue to innovate to ensure we are meeting the needs of our stakeholders:

• Supporting clinics with virtual visits and check ins
• Supporting providers with adaptations of the ROR guidance in telehealth
• Supporting our youngest children in visits starting at birth
• Providing resources to our providers, clinics, and families to support them while at home together

The definition of “thrive” is to grow or develop well or vigorously. Together, we can continue to wrap around our families and ensure that parents are equipped and supported to help their families thrive together, building strength in times of difficulty.