A Combined Reach Out and Read and Imagination Library Program on Kindergarten Readiness

Area of Science:

• Pediatric primary care
• Early childhood literacy
• Educational psychology

Background:

• Book sharing with preschoolers is a known factor in improving kindergarten readiness.
• Existing programs like Reach Out and Read (ROR) and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (DPIL) have demonstrated positive impacts on home book-sharing habits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel combined ROR/DPIL program on kindergarten readiness assessment (KRA) scores.
• To examine the impact of integrating clinic-based literacy guidance with increased home book availability on early literacy development.

Main Methods:

• Urban pediatric primary care sites enrolled children under 5 years old in a combined ROR/DPIL program from July 2015 to January 2019.
• The literacy subtest of the KRA was assessed for participants entering kindergarten in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
• Participant 'on-track' rates were compared to non-participant groups, including analyses restricted to economically disadvantaged children.

Main Results:

• A total of 797 participants were matched to Ohio KRA scores; the percentage of students 'on-track' in literacy significantly increased across cohorts (2016-2018, P = .004).
• No significant differences in literacy 'on-track' rates were found when comparing ROR/DPIL participants to a matched sample of 1580 non-participants.
• This lack of significant difference persisted even after restricting the analysis to economically disadvantaged children.

Conclusions:

• A combined program of literacy anticipatory guidance during clinic visits and providing books for home use may enhance kindergarten readiness.
• Pediatric healthcare providers can significantly contribute to promoting kindergarten readiness through literacy initiatives.
• While direct comparison showed no difference, the increasing trend in participant scores suggests potential benefits of the combined intervention.