A Prescription to Read
You may be getting more than vaccinations and prescriptions for vitamins at your child’s next doctor’s visit. This past Tuesday, St. Michael’s Hospital and Toronto Public Library launched one of the first Reach Out and Read programs in Canada, and the first connected with a Canadian hospital.
Through this initiative, during regular well-child checkups for children ages 6 months to 5 years, Reach Out and Read physicians and nurse practitioners at two of St. Michael’s family health clinics will talk to paren'ts about the importance of reading aloud to their children. They will give each child a book and will maintain a well-stocked library in their waiting rooms. The books included in the kits are Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Caillou is Sick.
In addition, at their first visit, families will be given a Ready for Reading kit including the library’s award-winning resource guide, “Let’s Get Ready for Reading,” filled with research-based tips, activities and recommended reading, developed by expert children’s librarians. To buy or borrow a copy of our Let’s Get Ready for Reading resource guide, please visit your local library branch.
Celebrations on Tuesday kicked off with the appearance of special guest from Chouette Publishing, Caillou, followed up by speeches by Dr. Lisa Graves, chief of the Department of Family and Community Medicine and Dr. Katie Dorman, resident in family medicine and one of the physicians leading the project at St. Michael’s. Vickery Bowles, City Librarian and Cheryl Skovronek, Ready for Reading Manager at Toronto Public Library also shared remarks about their excitement about joining the program. Children who attended were the first ones to receive the Ready for Reading kits. Caillou also joined the kids as they enjoyed a wonderful story time led by one of our children’s librarian, Jennifer.
Ready for Reading services, resources and programs at Toronto Public Library help paren'ts and caregivers become key players in promoting early childhood literacy by giving them the information and the tools they need to help their children acquire the necessary skills. To learn more or attend a story time, visit your local library branch.
To find story times nearest to your home, visit our program listing.
Watch our video recap:
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