Now is the time.
Time for reading. Time for bonding.
Time for Colorado kids.
Reach Out and Read Colorado’s fiscal year 2022-2023 was a busy time of growth and transition, and we are proud of all that was accomplished!
In the fall of 2022, Reach Out and Read Colorado finished its ‘Back To Birth’ rollout, transitioning of the program to begin at birth instead of the 6-month well-child visit. Inspired by our founder Dr. Steve Vogler and given the rapid growth of an infant’s brain from day one, our board made the determination to start reaching families as early as possible. This significant program enhancement added books and reading guidance at 3 additional well-child visits for each child and required additional training for all pediatric healthcare providers at our 327 partner clinics and doctors’ offices that participate in the Reach Out and Read program throughout the state.
This resulted in rapid growth in the number of interactions with families and with the number of books provided. From fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2023, Reach Out and Read Colorado saw a 31% increase in the well-child visits, reading guidance and books provided. That means 280,450 books reached families that needed them the most!
I also have to touch on our Gently Used Book program. The pandemic shut down our ability to incorporate literacy-rich waiting rooms at our medical offices, which usually allow for a child of any age to take a book home. In 2022-2023, this part of our program came roaring back and we reengaged with our generous book donors and community partners to receive 52,530 new and gently used book donations. Nearly every clinic has opened this part of our program again, and we are delighted to see the happy kids browsing for extra books to read while waiting and take home.
I joined this great organization in September of 2022 and I continue to be in awe of our supporters, who are as passionate as the great team that delivers this program throughout Colorado. We rely on our donors and community support and are deeply appreciative of their continued support. We look forward to 2023-2024 as we continue to grow and expand. We expect to exceed 300,000 new developmentally- and language-appropriate books ‘prescribed’ and opportunities for reading guidance! Here’s to another great year to come.
With deep appreciation,
Patty Fontneau
Chief Executive Officer
FY2023 Cover to Cover
2022 – 2023 In Review
Reach Out and Read Colorado believes that every child should be read aloud to every day. When this happens, all children are set up for success, in school and in life.
We’re honored to share these achievements from fiscal year 2023.
317,214
well-child visits encouraging families to read aloud together every day
280,450
new developmentally-appropriate books ‘prescribed’ to families at their regular well-child visits from age 0-5
327
medical offices partner with Reach Out and Read Colorado to ensure reading is a part of a child’s overall health
1,976
healthcare providers trained in the Reach Out and Read model
30+
languages of bilingual books prescribed, with top languages being Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Somali, Amharic and Chinese
71%
of families served are living in poverty
100%
of Colorado’s 64 counties have access to Reach Out and Read
161
urban clinics
165
rural clinics
“Reach Out and Read Colorado has helped us to create a literacy-rich environment, where families have the opportunity to explore and enjoy books together in clinic and at home. Our staff have the opportunity to share their love of reading with their patients and families and to model positive ways for families to engage with literature together. It’s a really positive experience for everyone involved!”
Denver Health
Westside
Denver, CO
Program Innovation
Reach Out and Read Colorado continually strives to improve its program fidelity and efficacy year after year.
Here are a few ways we worked to deepen our impact this year:
Our ‘Back to Birth’ program enhancement was rolled out to our final cohort in September of 2022. This enhancement allows providers, caregivers, and children to begin our program as early as possible at the 2-week well visit, establishing habits and behaviors of readers from the very beginning. Reach Out and Read Colorado is proud to share that this is now a permanent, statewide enhancement that benefits all kids in Colorado. Not only is early exposure to books crucial for brain development and kindergarten readiness, those same books help caregivers and children bond as they share moments together between the pages. The Reach Out and Read Colorado team is forever grateful to our founder, Dr. Steve Vogler, for inspiring us to launch Back to Birth and complete this initiative for all the families we serve in Colorado.
“Our providers are excited and grateful to provide books starting at birth – they feel it is a great program for both the children and parents. Having something tangible to give parents and kids when talking about the importance of literacy makes it come alive. I love seeing kids faces light up when they see a book that they like or a character they love.”
– SUMMIT CARE CLINIC | FRISCO, CO
Reach Out and Read Colorado remains committed to providing quality books to all the families we serve. In order to do this, we increased our book budget to provide access to new titles, diverse books, and books in a variety of world languages. Some of our favorites include Meesha Makes Friends, Jabari Jumps, and Alma and How She Got Her Name. We are proud to share that some (neurodiversity), My Mama is a Mechanic (gender roles), of the books that we have been able to source in various world languages are written and illustrated by native speaking people which makes the content and pictures on the page not only culturally relevant but extremely meaningful to the families receiving the books.
“Thank you so much for providing books in Dari! Last week, a very sweet moment occurred when I handed this dad a copy of “The Man and the Fox.” Initially, Dad rejected the book, but when I mentioned that this book was in their language, he paused for a moment. Then his face lit up. When I handed the book to him, he smiled broadly and began flipping through each page. He told me that he was familiar with that story and how he read it when he was a child in grade school. He exuded joy and pride as he showed me how the clothing in each of the illustrations’ characters was culturally traditional and accurate. It was such a cool experience and a great way to further build rapport with this family! Again, thank you Reach Out and Read Colorado for sharing those books with us!”
-Healthcare Provider at Sheridan Family Health Center
The evidence base supporting the Reach Out and Read model is ever growing and continues to inform the work we do across Colorado. While much of the research is devoted to early literacy benefits, there are new studies proving the early relational health benefits and the impact the program has on clinicians. A recent study found that clinicians who implement the Reach Out and Read model report a positive impact on patients, families and their own satisfaction and methods of practice. With all that clinicians went through during and after the pandemic, we are proud to be a program that brings value and joy to the healthcare community.
New Research: Clinician Experiences With Reach Out and Read: An Exploratory Qualitative Analysis
“[Reach Out and Read clinicians] expressed enjoyment of participating in ROR, focusing on the clinicians’ feeling happier, that they were bonding with their patients, and also that they were able to make a connection with families… Overall, responses centered on an increase in a clinician’s enjoyment, feeling of connection with patients and families, and an increase in meaning associated with their work.“
Aside from new, language and developmentally appropriate books at their well-child visits, we are also proud to share that we provide gently used books to siblings of all ages and other organizations across our Colorado community. Thanks to countless book drives and thousands of donations each year, along with generous volunteers donating their time to sort and pack gently used books, we were able to partner with the following organizations to build home libraries and bring smiles to children’s faces:
- Pediatrix Cardiology
- Douglas County Public Health
- SafeCare Colorado
- Rocky Mountain Human Services
- TruCare
- Mile High United Way
- Every Child Pediatrics Trunk or Treat
- Every Child Pediatrics Back to School Backpacks
88%
Success Rate
vs. the National average of 78%
46,000
Volunteer Hours
between our providers, clinic staff, and in-office volunteers
11
Staff Members
in our Denver office & regional positions
Financials
Revenue
Foundations $514,558
Individuals $549,338
Special Events $112,240
In-Kind $110,632
Government $126,915
Corporations $59,633
Program Income $197,394
Organizations $15,544
Investment Income $3,672
Total Revenue
$1,689,928
Expenses
Total Expenses
$1,689,244
Generous Supporters
We are so grateful for our strong community of support. Our work would not be possible without our generous individual donors, foundations, corporations and other partners, including our featured partners below:
Partnering to Support
Every Colorado Child’s Overall Health
Reach Out and Read Colorado keeps a child’s overall health at the heart of everything we do,
and we work hard to find partners who do the same.
Thanks to a collaborative partnership between Reach Out and Read Colorado, Colorado’s new Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), and All About Books, families across the state are better able to access a wide variety of supports to improve a child’s overall health and development.
CDEC created the ‘Raising CO Kids Guide’ as a caregiver resource that includes childcare information, developmental supports, parent self-care tools, housing assistance, and more. To make these resources available to families from all 64 counties, Reach Out and Read Colorado has worked with one of our generous book vendors, All About Books, to include stickers on book covers directing parents and caregivers to this guide. These stickers are trilingual – English, Spanish, and Arabic – to ensure accessibility to as many Coloradans as possible.
By combining the resources of CDEC and All About Books with the Reach Out and Read model, this initiative has the potential to create a ripple effect of positive change in the lives of Colorado’s youngest children. The first five years is a pivotal time in a child’s development, and access to high-quality resources can make a world of difference. With these QR code stickers, families and caregivers can easily connect with an in-depth library of educational materials, parenting tips, and community support services. This partnership represents a commitment to the future of Colorado’s children, fostering a strong start that will ultimately lead to a brighter and more promising future for the state as a whole.
This partnership has just been renewed for a second year, and our joint efforts will continue though June 2024 in order to double our reach and impact. We are grateful for this collaborative focus to raise healthy, thriving Colorado kids!
2022-2023
Board of Directors
Suzy Jaeger, Chair
Steve Bain
Emma Bodine CPA
Serena Bruzgo
Dee Daniels RN, CPNP
Jennifer Delory
Rhiannon Hendrickson
Scott Hild
Jenny Krause
Ken Lund
Joe Nimmons
Bridgitt Mitchell MBA, ED.D.
Ruben Rueda
Jessica Sanchez
Michelle Shiffman MD
Becky Takeda-Tinker PHD
Denise Vega
Kerri Webster
Kimberly White MD
Mary Zavadil MD
Looking Forward
As we step into the new year with hope and possibilities, I express my enthusiasm for our shared mission in fostering early literacy and enriching the lives of Colorado’s children and families.
Our past collaboration has left a significant impact on the communities we serve, enhancing early literacy experiences and fostering positive change in families through strengthened child/caregiver bonds and improved early relational health. Looking ahead, my focus is on securing multi-year funding to sustain and expand our programs, unlocking a matching grant to magnify our impact. This strategic approach aims to remove clinics from the waitlist, ensuring every child has access to the transformative power of books from an early age.
In addition to our ongoing efforts, I am excited to share our commitment to pursuing legislative and state funding to establish a more dependable financial base for Reach Out and Read Colorado.
By engaging with policymakers and advocating for early literacy initiatives, we seek to solidify our financial foundation, allowing us to plan and execute our programs with greater certainty. This legislative advocacy will not only benefit the immediate needs of our organization but will also contribute to the long-term sustainability of early literacy initiatives across the state.
Our success lies in the connections we forge within our community. Committed to strengthening these connections, we aim to bring more clinics off the waitlist, increasing the number of children and families benefiting from our program. With your continued support, including our pursuit of legislative and state funding, we can make significant strides toward our shared vision of a future where all children have access to the enriching world of books. Thank you for your unwavering dedication, and I look forward to the opportunities and joy we bring to Colorado’s children and families in the coming year.
With Gratitude,
Amy Malik
Director of Development
Since 1997, Reach Out and Read Colorado has funded
3.1 million books for the children who need them most.
Thank you for your continued support!
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