Reach Out & Read (ROR) Quality Improvement: Curating Customized Community Resources
Penn collection
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Library and Information Science
Public Health
Subject
quality improvement
program evaluation
community resources
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Abstract
Literacy is deeply intertwined with social determinants of health. Low literacy rates among children are a public health crisis with far-reaching implications on future access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities. This capstone project aims to identify opportunities for program implementation improvement across more than eighty Reach Out and Read (ROR) sites in the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. Reach Out and Read is a nationally renowned, evidence-based, early literacy initiative delivered in the pediatric healthcare setting. We analyzed changes between the 2023 and 2025 ROR site quality assessment data and observed five sites that experienced a decline at least two metrics involving community connections. To help ameliorate this decrease, we conducted a pilot intervention, which provided customized community resource lists, including information about local public libraries, adult literacy councils, and other community organizations that promote literacy. Customized resources were provided to the five sites, which can be shared with families via clinicians and social workers, distributing flyers in waiting rooms and/or examination rooms, or outreach to request informational materials from the listed organizations. With these resources provided, ROR staff will evaluate how these customized resources were used and if other local ROR sites would be interested in receiving similarly customized community resource lists specific to their geographic locations and the needs of their patients and families. Alongside book distribution, the ROR model emphasizes a literacy-rich environment and family reading. Promoting connections to local community resources showcases opportunities outside of clinics to further reinforce these goals throughout the community.