Reach Out and Read Lancaster County

When you think about your favorite book, what comes to mind?  The snuggling with your family member? How even though you’ve read the book so many times, you still wait for the page to turn anticipating what will happen. Or maybe it’s going to bed at night all warm and cozy in your bed while your family reads just one last book before the lights go out.  Reading, is a cherished activity, one that Reach Out and Read Lancaster County wants to instill in every family we meet.   

At Reach Out and Read, we believe all families should have the tools and information they need to make reading aloud a daily routine. We help integrate reading into pediatric practices, advise families about the importance of reading with their children, and share books that serve as a catalyst for healthy childhood development.  

During well visits, we talk with parents about the benefits of reading aloud and sharing with their young children beginning at birth. We show them how to hold books to best engage their children, and how to interact with the text and images to help them follow along. We share advice for talking about stories with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Families gain a deeper understanding of why they should make reading a daily habit, and leave inspired to cuddle up with their young one and a book. 

At the beginning of the visit, we give each child a new, developmentally-appropriate book to take home with them. We offer books in 28 different languages. Books can even be useful for families who don’t read—we encourage them to talk about the story that the pictures tell. 

Many of the families that Reach Out and Read serves do not have any books at home. At the end of the program, every Reach Out and Read child has a home library of books—each given with the advice to families that they are their child’s first and most important teacher. As they read and spend time together, families form lasting connections and children learn new skills that serve them well throughout their lives.