The Power of Reading in Pediatric Care

At first glance, a picture book might seem like a small thing. But for thousands of Oklahoma children, a book received during a routine well visit at an OU Health clinic represents something far greater: a first conversation, a first story, and the beginning of a lifelong love of learning.

Through the nationally recognized Reach Out and Read program, OU Health pediatric providers across the state are doing more than monitoring growth charts and checking developmental milestones. They are actively prescribing literacy as preventive care, equipping families with one of the most powerful tools in early childhood development. And the science, backs them up.

What Is Reach Out and Read?

Founded in Boston in 1989, Reach Out and Read is a national program now active in every state in the country. At its core, it is a parent intervention program that uses a book as a clinical tool.

At OU Health, participating providers, including pediatricians, family medicine providers and nurse practitioners are trained to embed the importance of early literacy into every well visit. They model reading behaviors in the exam room, coach caregivers on age-appropriate interaction and use shared reading as a way to observe and support developmental progress.

“If I hand a book to a 2-year-old upside down and they turn it right side up, open it, point to something and look back at their parent, I've already done a ton of developmental assessment in about five seconds,” said OU Health pediatrician Dr. Marny Dunlap, M.D., an associate professor in pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. Dr. Dunlap is also the medical director for Reach Out and Read Oklahoma, and one of the program's earliest champions in the state.

At every well visit from birth to age 5, every child receives a brand-new book to take home and keep. For many families, that book becomes the very first in the home — not just the first children’s book, but the first book of any kind. In that simple exchange, a routine checkup becomes an early step to so much more.

OU Health’s Role in Oklahoma Literacy

Dr. Dunlap launched OU Health's first Reach Out and Read program in 2001, after coming across a red notebook in a colleague's office that described the initiative. Intrigued, she read it cover to cover and knew immediately it was something OU Health needed to embrace.

Today, thanks in large part to her dedication and advocacy, Reach Out and Read is embedded in every OU Health pediatric primary care clinic, as well as the OU Health Family Medicine Clinic, the Oklahoma Children’s OU Health Child Study Center, and the PremieR Clinic for developmental follow-up care. Across Oklahoma, the program operates in 115 clinical sites statewide.

The program is intentionally woven into well visits, one of the most consistent points of contact between families and health care providers. While children over age 3 typically visit the doctor once a year, younger children are seen far more frequently — at newborn, 1-month, 2-month, 4-month, 6-month, 9-month, 12-month, 15-month, 18-month, 2-year, and 2½-year visits. It is during these critical early years, when brain development is at its most rapid, that Reach Out and Read has its greatest impact.

More Than a Book Giveaway

Dr. Dunlap is clear on one point: Reach Out and Read is not a book giveaway program.

“Yes, we give books to families, but it’s the message behind it all that's more important,” she said.

That message is tailored to meet families where they are. Providers are trained to speak with parents who may not be fluent in the language a book is written in, or who may not have been read to themselves as children. The focus is on interaction — how to tell stories, how to engage with a child, how to make reading a natural and joyful part of daily life.

The results are measurable. Peer-reviewed research shows that children in Reach Out and Read programs have a language advantage of three to six months over their peers. Parents are at least 2 ½ times more likely to read to their children.

Oklahoma-specific research using Medicaid data further demonstrates that participation is associated with higher rates of consistent attendance at well visits and increased completion of developmental screenings, reinforcing the program’s role in strengthening continuity of care.

Additional findings published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal found that adolescent mothers enrolled in the program showed improved depression scores over the course of the study, a remarkable reminder that the benefits of reading together extend well beyond the child.

Considering the proven benefits of the program, the investment to achieve these outcomes is remarkably modest. The average cost of Reach Out and Read per child, per year, is around $15.

Reach Out and Read is endorsed by both the American Academy of Family Physicians as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics, which state that the promotion of literacy is an “essential component” of pediatric care.

Nationally, the program reaches more than 11.2 million well-child visits annually, delivered through a network of over 41,000 clinicians.

OU Health’s leadership in Oklahoma represents a critical link in that nationwide effort.

A Protective Factor for Oklahoma’s Children

For children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), protective factors — conditions or supports that help buffer stress and promote healthy development — are especially critical. Shared reading has been identified as one such protective factor, with research from the University of Oklahoma and national partners linking it to improved resilience and stronger parent-child bonds.

But Dr. Dunlap notes that the benefits extend well beyond families in difficult circumstances. In an era of growing screen time, the simple act of sitting down with a book matters for every family.

“I think this message is really important for all families,” she said. “That bonding time with the parent is so important in these early ages.”

Reach Out and Read Oklahoma distributes over 80,000 books annually, ensuring every child receives a book regardless of their insurance status.

Care That Extends Beyond the Exam Room

The Reach Out and Read program reflects something essential about OU Health’s approach to pediatric care: that a provider’s influence on a child’s life does not end when the appointment does.

“We're only with them a short time in the exam room,” Dr. Dunlap said, “but parents reading to their children extends well beyond anything we can do there. It helps with language development, and with that parent-child interaction. We know it's a protective factor against adverse childhood experiences. It supports family bonding.”

For OU Health, that is the point. By meeting families at one of the most trusted moments in their child’s early life — the well visit — and sending them home not just with guidance but with a book in hand, OU Health is investing in Oklahoma children long before they ever set foot in a classroom. One page at a time.