Reach Out and Read of Greater New York

MISSION

Reach Out and Read of Greater New York’s (ROR GNY) mission is to prepare children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. In the Greater New York region, ROR GNY provides new, age-appropriate books and literacy guidance to over a quarter of a million children in New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley.

HISTORY

Pediatricians and early childhood specialists founded Reach Out and Read in 1989 at Boston City Hospital, now a part of Boston Medical Center. Reach Out and Read of Greater New York (ROR GNY) was later launched as a separate agency in New York City in 1997 (incorporated in 1999). Initially formed as a coalition of 35-member program sites, ROR GNY has grown incrementally over the years.

The coalition of member sites now numbers 233 ROR programs region wide. ROR GNY is an evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms and clinics, building on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop critical early reading skills in children, from 0 to 5 years of age. The 250,000 families served annually by ROR GNY read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies, with stronger language skills, and better prepared to succeed.