Reach Out and Read-Alabama

Reach Out and Read-Alabama is in the news! 📰

The UAB Huntsville Family Medicine Residency Program Rx for Summer Reading event took place on Monday where families received free books and resources.

Dr. Taylor Carter, Reach Out and Read-Alabama clinician, encouraged families to maintain routines over the summer by reading and getting outside.

Why doctors and librarians want your kids reading this summer Educators and health professionals are working to help kids keep their reading skills sharp during the summer months.

Reach Out and Read-Alabama is encouraging children and families across the state to "Grow With Us" this summer through our 17th annual Rx for Summer Reading campaign. Inspired by this year's featured book, “Lola Plants a Garden,” the campaign celebrates growth in all its forms, from flowers blooming in a garden to the language, literacy, and relationship skills children develop through shared reading.

From June 1 through July 31, participating pediatric health care providers at 56 sites statewide will distribute free copies of the book while encouraging families to make reading together part of their summer routines.

This year's theme is especially fitting as Reach Out and Read-Alabama celebrates 20 years of serving children and families across the state. What began as an idea in 2006 has blossomed into a statewide network helping children and families build a lifelong love of reading through the trusted relationship between health care providers and caregivers. Much like the garden at the center of this year's featured book, those efforts have grown steadily over time, creating lasting roots in communities across the state.

Parents are constantly being told about the next app, video, or toy that's supposed to help their child learn. But children don't learn language from screens. They learn language from people. ❤️

This article dives into exactly why the Reach Out and Read model works. The book is important, but the real magic happens when a parent, grandparent, caregiver, or other trusted adult reads that book with a child.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/opinion-childhood-literacy-nurturing-and-our-future/ar-AA1T1JZm

Some other great gardening books from our friends at All About Books to read this summer along with Lola Plants a Garden!

Beat the Summer Slide and head out to the garden! Spring is the perfect time for kiddos to learn all about what makes plants grow, and we have tons of books to help their curiosity sprout! Learning about gardening early can help a lifelong passion for making things grow take root. 🌱

20 years of reading. A lifetime of impact.

Every book shared in the exam room opens the door to connection, confidence, and joy — for families and clinicians alike. Every day we celebrate the power of shared reading to bring families closer, spark learning, and build lifelong habits of literacy.

On this 📚, Verquita Scott-Conley at Alabama Multi-Specialty Group shares her favorite book she provides at check-ups.

Sites, like Charles Henderson Child Health Center, across the state are planning their Rx for Summer Reading events!

Follow us on our social media channels to stay up-to-date about events happening in your area!

📖Reach Out and Read 2026 at the CHCHC is sure to be a great one!

🌷Join us on JUNE 17 from 8:30AM-11AM to grab a goodie bag, a book, enjoy fun activities and most importantly READ!

🌸Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn, is a book that digs into research and planning to produce patience and beautiful blooms.

🩵The Charles Henderson Child Health Center is a proud site for the Reach Out and Read Alabama program. Providers have utilized the service since 2006 to give age-appropriate books during well visits to children from birth through age 5.

UAB Medicine Huntsville Pediatrics hosted the first Rx for Summer Reading event of the summer this week and it sounds like everyone had a fun time!