Early Reading Programs Improve Kindergarten Readiness
Published May 2021 | Pediatrics
By pairing literacy anticipatory guidance at clinic visits with more books in the home, two early reading programs have positive effects on preschool students entering kindergarten.
In the Reach Out and Read program, children receive a new book and guidance about reading at home during well-visits from newborn through age 5. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails new books to a child’s home once a month from birth through age 5.
Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s developed a unique combination of these two programs. With the participation of 23 health clinics throughout Cincinnati, the team enrolled over 3,200 children in the combined program. They analyzed the results of the kindergarten readiness assessment (KRA) literacy subtest of a sample of program participants over the course of three school years and compared them to the school district average.
Between the 2016-17 and 2018-19 school years, participants showed an increase of 15.4 percentage points, while the school district average increased by only 3.8 percent during this same time period.
“With this early study, we suggest that when combined and sustained, these two programs have the potential for effectively supporting the development of preliteracy skills of large populations of at-risk children, improving kindergarten readiness, and, ultimately, success in school and life,” says lead author Greg Szumlas, MD.
By including literacy promotion as a routine part of primary care, this study highlights the important role pediatric healthcare providers can play in kindergarten readiness. Cincinnati Children’s and more than 20 health centers in Greater Cincinnati continue enrolling children in Reach Out and Read and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Literacy Program Participation and Kindergarten Readiness
Percentage of Reach Out and Read (ROR)/Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) participants on-track in kindergarten readiness assessment (KRA) literacy versus Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) district comparison. Note: District results do not exclude ROR/DPIL participants. District samples sizes for years 2016–2017, 2017–2018, and 2018–2019 were 2690, 2659, and 2718, respectively.
