Read with children at the VMC Foundation's Reach Out and Read program!

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Do you love reading to children? Are you looking to volunteer a few hours every week? Then the Reach Out and Read Volunteer Reader position is right for you! Volunteers are a vital part of the Reach Out and Read program. They transform the pediatric waiting rooms into literacy-rich areas for children and parents. They also help families learn the joys and various techniques of reading aloud. Volunteering for this program can take as little as two hours a week or as much time as you like. The VMC Foundation is looking for volunteers who are 18 years of age or older who are willing to commit a minimum of 100 hours over the course of the next year to read to children in the pediatrics clinics at Valley Medical Center. Going to the doctor can be a scary event for a child. Waiting in the waiting room for their appointment tends to only make them more anxious. You can make a difference by volunteering. Not only will you be able to ease their stress by distracting them with a book, you can also teach both the child and the parent great techniques so that the family reads at home and the child is properly prepared for school when the time comes. You will be reading in the waiting room working with any of the children who are waiting for their doctors appointments. Books will be provided and each clinic has a table for you to sit at with the children. You will be able to build your own schedule, as long as you are committed to completing 100 hours over the course of the year. How to Apply: To learn more about being a Reach Out and Read Volunteer or to apply, please fill out the Reach Out and Read Volunteer Application and email it to vmcfoundation@hhs.sccgov.org. ____________________ The Reach Out and Read Model in Action Doctors, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals incorporate Reach Out and Read’s evidence-based model into regular pediatric checkups, by advising parents about the importance of reading aloud and giving developmentally-appropriate books to children. The program begins at the 6-month checkup and continues through age 5, with a special emphasis on children growing up in low-income communities. Families served by Reach Out and Read read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills, and a six-month developmental edge. The Challenge More than one-third (34%) of American children entering kindergarten today lack the basic language skills they will need to learn to read. Children who live in print-rich environments and who are read to during the first years of life are more likely to develop stronger reading abilities and enter school prepared to succeed. Fewer than half of parents (48%) in theUnited Statesread to their young children daily. Parents of children living in poverty may lack the money to buy books , may not have easy access to good children’s books, and may not themselves have been read to as children.