The Children’s Health Fund’s Reading Project is currently implemented in New York City, and promotes reading by giving culturally-sensitive and age-appropriate books to homeless and low-income children during medical visits.
Homeless and low-income children are highly
susceptible to low literacy, in part because parents
are often overburdened with securing the family’s
basic needs such as food, housing and income.
Additionally, many families are simply not able to
afford the cost of quality books. According to the National Institute for Literacy, over 75% of public assistance recipients have low or very low literacy skills. These numbers are particularly indicative of the risk for low literacy among the more than 10,000 homeless and low-income patients served by The Children’s Health Fund’s New York City Programs each year.
To help overcome this disadvantage, The Reading Project distributes a variety of high-quality, age-appropriate books during medical visits. Our pediatric patients and their siblings are able to choose books that appeal to them, and can browse through the many different types of recently published books we stock. Our caring and bilingual providers help patients choose books that are enjoyable, and that support each patients’ development. It is also an opportunity for providers to discuss developmental benchmarks with parents, and to evaluate the developmental status of pediatric patients so that problems can be identified early. For many children, the book they receive during their initial medical appointment is the very first book they have ever owned. The program also distributes books to meet the special needs of the parents we serve, including GED preparatory books, ESL books and bilingual dictionaries.
Each year, The Reading Project distributes approximately 15,000 high-quality, developmentally appropriate books to more than 7,500 children and family members.
The Reading Project receives Leadership Support from
The Picower Foundation.
