The Reach Out and Read program has been in the cities for more than a decade.
Holyoke Health Center physician Dr.Stephanie J. Billings, left, goes over a book with Dacasty Pena, right and her daughter Vidalyz, 5 months old, during a visit to the doctors' office.
HOLYOKE – Putting a book in her mouth, banging it against the table and pointing at it are signs that 6-month-old Vidalyz Peña, of Holyoke, is developing well.
“What I look for is whether she is looking and recognizing faces and if she can hold the book on her own. At the same time, I’m looking at her posture and whether she can sit up with her head steady,” said Dr. Stephanie Billings, a family physician at Holyoke Health Center.
Holyoke, like Springfield, is a “Bookend City,” which means every pediatrician and family doctor participates in the Reach Out and Read program.
The nationwide nonprofit school readiness program, which was developed by pediatricians and early childhood educators, provides free books to children at their regular checkups from ages 6 months to 5 year -old.
“It’s a wonderful tool to see how a child is developing and, as they get older, what their literacy level is,” Billings said.
Dacasty Peña has four children ages 11, 7, 2 and 6 months, and all of them have been or are still in the program.
“It really does help. My oldest child is constantly reading and is actually above grade level and her siblings all want to read her books,” she said.
Every child who comes in for a visit will get a book based on his or her age and stage of development.
When they are babies like Vidalyz, it’s more important for a doctor to observe their interactions with the parent and doctor as well as how they handle the book.
“If we see a child who is not responding to the pictures or cannot hold the book on their own, that is a sign that something is wrong,” Billings said. “If I see an older child and he or she is still holding the book upside down or cannot recognize colors or words, then those are signs we need to pay attention to.”
Working in Holyoke where there is a large Hispanic population means Billing is often giving children bilingual books.
“We encourage parents to read to children in their primary language. As long as a child is read to they are picking up new vocabulary and learning,” she said.
Peña and her husband take turns reading to the children every night in both Spanish and English. Each child gets his or her own book.
“They like to have their own things and they each want particular stories read to them,” she said.
The program has also been useful in spotting parents who may need parenting courses or also have literacy needs.
“We do have parents who don’t know how to read or particularly cannot read in English. We still encourage them to sit with their child, hold the book and make up stories,” Billings said. “We can also spot any signs that a parent and child are not connecting or that there are issues with postpartum depression.”
There are three Reach Out and Read Sites in Holyoke: Holyoke Health Center, Holyoke Pediatric Associates and Western Massachusetts Pediatrics. Holyoke Health Center and Holyoke Pediatric Associates have both been participating in Reach Out and Read for more than a decade.
According to its website, doctors and nurses distribute 6.4 million books to more than 3.9 million children and their families annually at 4,654 pediatric practices, hospitals, clinics and health centers across the country, targeting those centers that serve children at socioeconomic risk.
“Often times children in lower income neighborhoods, living with a single parent, can slip through the cracks unnoticed. This program allows us to spot any problems and help close the gap,” Billings said. “It’s such a simple thing, give a child a book and read to them and it can change their life.”
For more information, visit www.reachoutandread.org.