The UAB Pediatric Primary Care Clinic (PCC) celebrated its annual Reach Out and Read Day on Tuesday, July 13 by passing out copies of “Leo Gets a Checkup” to patients and their families. The clinic staff, faculty and residents added to the celebration by dressing up in a toddler theme.

Reach Out and Read is a national nonprofit that promotes the importance of daily reading and literacy. The PCC is a program site for the Reach Out and Read initiative to promote childhood literacy and encourage school readiness for their patients.

The PCC sees close to 1,800 children aged 6-months-old to 5-years-old each year. Every child who visits the clinic for their well child checkup receives an age-appropriate book. Literacy rates in the state of Alabama have traditionally been poor and other barriers can prevent families from being able to provide books at home.

As a program site, the PCC receives some book donations from Reach Out and Read, but many of the books they provide their patients are from community donations.

“We feel the Reach Out and Read program is a much-needed step towards improving the overall literacy health of our state,” explains Jaime McKinney, M.D., attending in the PCC.

If you would like to donate new or gently used books of any age for clinic families, please drop them off at Primary Care Clinic (Children’s Park Place II Building – Suite G60). If you would like a gift receipt for your book donation or if you would like to make a monetary donation to purchase books for Primary Care Clinic, please contact Christie Coleman at 205-638-6971 or crcoleman@peds.uab.edu.  

Learn more about the PCC’s Reach Out and Read efforts here.