About US
Connected Families. Healthy Kids. Prepared for Success.
Our Vision
Every child will grow up in a family that reads together and will lead a thriving, healthy, and successful life.
Our Mission
To improve school readiness and social-emotional skills through trusted literacy guidance and reading together.
We empower healthcare providers to talk with parents of young children about the importance of reading aloud at regular well-child visits, with a special focus on children growing up in poverty.
By building on the unique relationship between parents and healthcare providers, Reach Out and Read Colorado helps families and communities encourage early literacy skills and healthy family relationships, so children enter school prepared for success.
Prescription for Reading
At regular well-child visits for children from birth to 5 years, the healthcare provider shares a new, developmentally- and language-appropriate book with the child and talks with the caregiver about the importance of reading together. When the visit is over, the family leaves with the book and a prescription for daily reading.
Books & Support
Partner pediatric offices receive books, training, and support from Reach Out and Read Colorado. Over 2,000 healthcare providers across the state have been trained to use books as an exam room diagnostic tool to discuss early literacy with parents and evaluate child development.
ResilientKids & Families
Research shows that families that participate in the program read to their children more often. Children’s language skills and vocabulary are improved, helping young brains to develop and strengthening bonds between parent and child, before a child ever enters school. When children are set up for success from a young age, the possibilities are endless.
Our Partners
Built on & Backed by science
Reach Out and Read is the only national pediatric literacy model endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Reach Out and Read Colorado is an independent 501(c)(3) member of the national Reach Out and Read network.
Reach Out and Read’s effectiveness is consistently supported by independent, peer-reviewed research. Studies show that our model has a significant effect on parental behavior and attitudes toward reading aloud, and that children who participate in our program demonstrate higher language scores. Our impact has been documented in ethnically and economically diverse families throughout the nation.
Families participating in Reach Out and Read are 250% more likely to read to their children.
Children’s language development is improved significantly with Reach Out and Read.
American Academy of Pediatrics Reiterates Shared Reading Supports Children’s Long-Term Health and Well-Being through Relationships
In an updated policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) emphasizes the latest research showing the significance of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships as a protective buffer against the biological harms of toxic stress on children – as well as a key toward building resilience.
[ American Academy of Pediatrics ]
Encouraging Parent–Child Book Sharing: Potential Additive Benefits of Literacy Promotion in Health Care and the Community
Parents who received both a book and guidance through Reach Out and Read about the importance of reading were more likely to engage in literacy activities with their children through book sharing at home.
[ Early Childhood Research Quarterly ]
Our Team
Patty Fontneau
Jessie Chase
Aria Faddis
Crystal Hutto
Annie Immele
Casie Kolbeck
Kelcey Kuntz
Katie Malone
Amy Malik
Cindy Phelps
Our board of directors
Scott Hild
Director of Business Development & Marketing, Propeller
Dan Alvarez
Software Engineer, Peaksware Holdings LLC
Leslie Mitchell Assini
Communications Consultant & Author
Steve Bain
Retired Attorney, Welborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley
Emma Bodine, CPA
Audit Manager, Kundinger, Corder & Engle, P.C.
Serena Bruzgo
President, Craig Hospital Foundation
Dee A Daniels, RN, CPNP
Program Director, Sie Center for Down Syndrome, Children’s Hospital Colorado
Maggie Dehn
SVP & Head of Institutional Sales Operations, Fidelity Investments
Suzy Jaeger
Senior Vice President, Chief Patient Experience and Access Officer, Children's Hospital Colorado
Jon Lehmann
Senior Director, Government & Regulatory Affairs,
Comcast Cable
Bridgitt Mitchell, MBA, Ed.D.
Director of Professional Development,
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Joe Nimmons
Colorado Region President, Huntington Bank
Jessica Sanchez
Vice President, Quality & Operations, Colorado Community Health Network
Jessica Schneider
Owner, Begin Again Books
Michelle Shiffman, MD
Pediatrician, Denver Health
Audra Spicer, PhD
Provost & Chief Academic Officer, Colorado State University Global
Kerri Webster
Vice President, Chief Analytics Officer, Children's Hospital Colorado
Kimberly White, MD
Pediatrician & Clinic Director, Every Child Pediatrics
Steve Vogler, MD, MSPH
Retired Pediatrician, Denver Health Westside Clinic
Our Provider Advisory Board
Ashley Fredrickson, NP | Kids First Health Care
Nicholas Gilman, MD | Denver Health
Deniz Kolozs, MD | Kaiser Aurora Centerpointe
Kristie Malik, MD | Special Care Clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado
Cherie Nuanes, PA | Denver SAFE Center and PEDUC
Samantha Stough, DO | Colorado Mountain Medical
Michelle Shiffman, MD, RORCO Medical Director | Denver Health Pena
