[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 81 (Monday, June 10, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S4060]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Cowan, 
        and Mr. Blumenthal):
  S. 1126. A bill to aid and support pediatric involvement in reading 
and education; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I introduce with my colleague, Senator 
Grassley, the Prescribe-a-Book Act. I thank Senators Stabenow, Cowan, 
and Blumenthal for joining us as original cosponsors of this bipartisan 
bill.
  Literacy skills are the foundation for success in school and in life. 
Developing and building these skills begins at home, with parents as 
the first teachers.
  Our legislation would create a federal pediatric early literacy grant 
initiative based on the long-standing, successful Reach Out and Read 
program. The program would award grants on a competitive basis to high-
quality non-profit entities to train doctors and nurses to discuss with 
parents the importance of reading aloud to their children and to give 
books to children at pediatric check-ups from six months to five years 
of age, with a priority for children from low-income families. It 
builds on the relationship between parents and medical providers and 
helps families and communities encourage early literacy skills so 
children enter school prepared for success in reading.
  The pediatric literacy model implemented by Reach Out and Read has 
consistently demonstrated effectiveness in increasing family engagement 
and boosting children's reading proficiency. Research published in 
peer-reviewed, scientific journals has found that parents who have 
participated in the program are significantly more likely to read to 
their children and include more children's books in their home, and 
that children served by the program show an increase of 4-8 points on 
vocabulary tests. I have seen up-close the positive impact of this 
program on children and their families when visiting a number of Rhode 
Island's Reach Out and Read sites.
  The Prescribe a Book Act would leverage federal dollars to expand 
pediatric literacy initiatives so that more young children reap the 
developmental benefits of having books at home and being read to by 
their parents. Federal grant funding for Reach Out and Read through the 
Department of Education helped build a successful public-private 
partnership that has been matched by tens of millions of dollars from 
the private sector and state governments. The Prescribe a Book Act 
would establish a formal authorization for activities modeled on this 
type of successful partnership.
  I urge our colleagues to join us in cosponsoring the Prescribe a Book 
Act, and to work to include its provisions in the upcoming 
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
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