Doctor says Read

At United Way of Piece County, we want to ensure that all our children are physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively ready to participate and learn in school. And learning begins at birth. For pediatricians like Dr. Maryann Woodruff, making sure parents know this and are reading to their child from day one is as much a priority as their physical development.

“There is a need to help families understand the real importance of early literacy,” explains Dr. Woodruff, a pediatrician at Pediatrics Northwest and the co-lead responsible for bringing the Reach Out and Read program to Pierce County.

Through Reach Out and Read, a program receiving funding from United Way of Pierce County, children are given a book at each well-child visit to the doctor’s office. Additionally, the parents are given tools and techniques to incorporate learning into the child’s play.

“The more children are read to...the better they are going to learn and the more ready they are going to be.” Dr. Woodruff continues, “I want the community to know how important reading aloud is. For me, the books are just as important as my stethoscope.”

Today Reach Out and Read Washington is in 30 counties, over 145 medical practices, endorsed by over 1000 medical providers and served 86,000 children and families during 157,000 well-child checkups in 2013.  It sounds pretty impressive (and it is) but there are so many more children who could benefit from this program. 

Reach Out and Read only serves 20 percent of eligible children in Washington State. In other words, four out of five children are not served.  Dr. Woodruff’s vision is for this program to reach all the kids in our state. To get there, it will take additional funding and community support. Reach Out and Read and Pierce County are lucky to have Dr. Woodruff on their team because her passion and enthusiasm for this program is infectious.

Through Reach Out and Read, parents are taught to be their child’s first teacher and equipped with the tools to put them on a path to success. Reach Out and Read is just one of the many programs receiving funding from United Way of Pierce County.