Provider Spotlight:
Kristi Reeves, RN, BSN | Nurse Family Partnership
What do you wish everyone knew about reading early and often?
“This one thing is the best investment you can make as a parent. Hearing a great story from someone you love is what creates and cements a love of reading and learning that will last well beyond childhood.”
As a mother yourself, what was your approach to early literacy?
“My three kids are now young adults and as many mistakes as I made at parenting (because don’t we all?), reading aloud was one thing I think I did right. It was part of our bedtime routine from infancy to middle school, but I also decided early on that I’d never refuse a request to read, so we often read after lunch, in the mornings before school, and always listened to audio books on our frequent road trips. I’m so relieved and happy that all three are still curious and enthusiastic readers.”
What are some of your favorite memories reading with your own children?
“It’s so hard to pick our favorite reading memories as there are so many! My oldest absconded with the first Harry Potter book after I read the first chapter around the fire on a camp trip, and she literally didn’t emerge from the tent until she had finished it! And we still chuckle at the only ‘pink slip’ our youngest received in elementary school for the awful crime of ‘reading too much at lunch time!’ My favorite picture of all time is of my 3-year-old son ‘reading’ to his potty-chair-perched little sister!”
How does your team implement Reach Out and Read during home visits?
“Partnering with Reach Out and Reach Colorado is such a joy. Being able to bring out the very first books a family has ever owned is a priceless opportunity, and coupling the books themselves with education about the importance of early literacy is beyond powerful. We get to see firsthand the evolution of an infant looking at pictures while still in her mama’s arms to her first attempts at turning pages to her proud two-year old self ‘reading’ a book to her parents!”
