Milwaukee Program Aimed at Nurturing Infant-Parent Reading Expands
Reach Out and Read Wisconsin will partner with the Milwaukee Public Library to bring its literacy program to more sites.
Reach Out and Read Wisconsin promotes early childhood reading at well-child clinic visits. Source: Reach Out and Read Wisconsin
A Wisconsin early childhood literacy nonprofit is helping parents and children make reading part of their daily routine, teaming up with libraries and clinics to give out “prescriptions to read” during medical checkups.
Reach Out and Read is a national nonprofit and mostly serves children from communities of color and low income families. Wisconsin’s chapter has been active for 15 years. In that time, they have connected more than 148,000 children in over 64 counties with age appropriate books.
The program gives parents, regardless of literacy level, the opportunity to learn how to read one on one with their child.
There are 319 participating clinics in Wisconsin.
In Milwaukee, clinicians at the Children’s Wisconsin Good Hope Pediatrics and Aurora Health Care-Good Hope Clinic are already participating, but the grant will bring the program to the Isaac Coggs Heritage Health Center and Ascension All Saints-Family Health Center.
The program is specifically targeting northwest Milwaukee, a predominately Black area. The organization said it is to help address systemic disparities in literacy. Black fourth graders in Milwaukee read at levels far below their white peers, according to the most recent Nation’s Report Card. Wisconsin had the largest reading score gap between white and Black fourth graders among all states in 2024.
Reach Out and Read Wisconsin is partnering with the Milwaukee Public Library to bring more age appropriate books to young children. Source: Reach Out and Read Wisconsin
“By expanding our partnership into pediatric clinics, we meet families where they are — offering books, resources, and support at a trusted point in their child’s care,” said Joan Johnson, the library director for Milwaukee Public Library, in a statement announcing the move.
[inarticlead ad=”UM-In-Article-2″When it comes to child literacy, it’s important that parents start reading to their children early. The first few years of a person’s life is the most active period for brain development.
DeDe Williams is the nonprofit’s executive director for Wisconsin. She says at well-child visits, a book is as important as a stethoscope when measuring early child development. Trained clinicians can monitor the child’s motor skills, emotional bond with their parent and reading levels.
“Can the child grip the book, reach good, do they have the pincher grips yet to turn those pages?” Williams said. “They’re also looking at cognitive skills, their language skills.”
After appointments, parents can go to the nearby library with their child. Williams says it’s like giving a kid a golden Willy Wonka ticket to tour a chocolate factory.
“And the library team, they’ve also been trained in understanding what Reach Out and Read is,” Williams said. “They’re expecting this family to come in with a prescription, and they are doing this warm handoff saying, “Hey, we’re going to give you a tour of the library”.”
The organization hopes to reach at least 6,000 children in Milwaukee during 13,000 well child visits in the next two years.
Program aimed at nurturing infant-parent reading expands in Milwaukee was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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