Nationwide Children's has the largest of over 4,100 Reach Out and Read® Programs in the country! Reach Out and Read® is a pediatric literacy program dedicated to encouraging family literacy activities in the home prior to a child’s entrance into the school system. Reach Out and Read® trains doctors and nurses to advise parents about the importance of reading aloud, focusing on children growing up in poverty. The program is available in each of Nationwide Children's Primary Care Centers.

The Reach Out and Read® Model

• Each time a child between six months and five years old comes in for a routine well-child visit, the pediatrician provides that child with a new age-appropriate book to take home.
• During the exam the pediatrician uses the book to assess the child’s language, motor and cognitive development, discussing with the caregiver developmental anticipatory guidance.
• Volunteer readers engage children in a thematic literacy curriculum made up of activities that meet state kindergarten standards in math, science and language.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 2009 book drive! More than 75,000 new and gently-used books were donated and 17 local school districts participated.

Book Donations

We accept book donations year-round. If you would like to donate, please contact the Reach Out and Read® office at (614) 355-8621 or (614) 355-8619 to make arrangements for your donation. As leaders in pediatric literacy, we rely on the central Ohio community for continuing to support our mission through generous donations of new and gently-used children’s books.

Good quality children’s books are the heart of Reach Out and Read® and essential to our program’s continued success. Through the generous support of the community we are able to maintain our new and gently used book supply.

Donation recommendations include:

• New Books: Board books or books for children under five years of age
• Gently-Used Books: Up to a 4th grade reading level
• No torn cover or pages
• Culturally diverse – written in any language
• No books expressing religious or political views
• No romance novels

If you would like to make a contribution to Reach Out and Read®, please click here.

2008 Fast Facts for Children 0-5 Years of Age

Total Primary Care Visits = 88,868 Total Well-Child Visits = 50,137 New Books Provided During Visits = 49,430 Total Volunteers = 137 Total Volunteer Hours = 3,177 Program Stats Since 1998 New Books Provided During Visits = 361,816 Gently-Used Books = 427,608 Volunteers = 1,419 Volunteer Hours = 24,279

Download our 2008 Annual Report

We hope to make your volunteer time with us an exciting and rewarding experience. Please note the application process takes approximately 4 to 6 weeks.

Volunteer Reader Job Description

Music Volunteer Job Description

Reach Out and Read® Volunteer Brochure

Adult Volunteers
As a volunteer reader you will have the opportunity to provide a positive, nurturing experience with books at a time when children may need comforting.

• Model reading techniques that allow parents to learn through observation.
• Introduce literacy through a thematic based curriculum which meets state standards in science, language and math.
• Read books to children while they wait to see their pediatrician.
• Encourage children and families to select books to read together while in the waiting areas.
• Offer gently used books that patients can take home.

Adult Application Process - Apply Now
*If you will be volunteering as part of a group you are not required to complete an individual application.

• 6 month or 60 hour commitment
• Completion of volunteer application, including three references
• Interview
• Security Screening
• Attend 3 hour hospital orientation
• Attend on-site Reach Out and Read® training
• Annual Retraining

Volunteens - Apply Now
The goal of our Volunteen program is to offer teens service learning opportunities in a healthcare setting. Teens follow the same job description as volunteer readers and music volunteers. We accept teens into the Reach Out and Read® Program twice a year.

• Complete a teen application, including two references and a parent letter
• Attend a screening session
• Attend 3 hour hospital orientation 
• Attend on-site Reach Out and Read® training 
• Deadlines for applying to the teen program are:
  • April 15 - Summer Program
  • September 15 – School-year program

Music Volunteers
Music volunteers engage children in literacy related activities through the use of music. Activities follow a structured approach, using song and instruments as the primary learning tools.

Initiate theme based music activities. Introduce musical instruments and musical notation. Incorporate books and music to create a fun interactive learning environment. Volunteer, Carol Huffman, Honored at the Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s 13th Annual Music Educator Awards

Corporate & Group Volunteers
Giving back is important to many people, but time constraints often get in the way. We offer an opportunity conducive for corporate, educational and civic organizations. Through our corporate and group program, small groups choose a day, time and center to adopt. Members of the group then rotate volunteering each week. One person may only volunteer once every several weeks depending on how big the group is. We work closely with each group to ensure goals and expectations are met. There are many opportunities for volunteer groups, please call us at (614) 355-8619 for additional information.

Why Volunteer with the Reach Out and Read® Program?

• Have fun and make a difference in a child's world!
• Feel good about yourself and what you are doing. Volunteering improves longevity, lowers depression rates and reduces heart disease from The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research by the corporation for National and Community Services.
• It takes more than medicine to have a healthy child - through the Reach Out and Read® Program you model story telling techniques parents can observe and later duplicate at home. You are offering parents the opportunity to be their child's first teacher.

Olivia Thomas, MD
Reach Out and Read® Medical Director
700 Children’s Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43205

Olivia Thomas, MD, serves as Medical Director of the Reach Out and Read® Program at Nationwide Children’s. She is Chief of the Section of Ambulatory Pediatrics at Nationwide Children’s and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics in The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Thomas is responsible for the implementation of Reach Out and Read® and continues to be actively involved in all aspects of program operations.

Claudia Barrett, BS, DTR
Health Literacy Program Coordinator
700 Children’s Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43205
Phone: (614) 355-8619
Fax: (614) 355-8624

Claudia Barrett, BS, DTR, is Health Literacy Program Coordinator for Nationwide Children’s, which includes the Reach Out and Read® Program and The Mediglyphs™ Program, a pediatric health literacy program. She holds a Bachelor degree in Organizational Leadership and Business Administration from Franklin University and an Associate degree in Clinical Dietetics from Kettering College of Medical Arts. She has been with Nationwide Children's for 18 years and is responsible for designing and implementing both Reach Out and Read® and Mediglyphs™ Programs. Ms. Barrett is actively involved in literacy efforts throughout Ohio and sits on many organizational boards.

Suzette Rathke
Reach Out and Read® Volunteer Coordinator
700 Children’s Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43205
Phone: (614) 355-8621
Fax: (614) 355-8624

Suzette is a graduate of Franklin University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources. Through Suzette's professional tenure in the field of Human Resources, she will utilize her recruiting, managing and training experiences and skills to coordinate the volunteer program for Reach Out and Read®. She has been an active volunteer within her community through a variety of children-related events and organizations. Previously, Suzette has coordinated a book drive for the Reach Out and Read® Program.

Shareena Rhodes
Reach Out and Read® Music Volunteer Coordinator
700 Children's Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43205
Phone: (614) 355-8655
Fax: (614) 355-8624

Shareena is a graduate of Otterbein College with a Bachelor of Arts in Business, Economics, and Music. With Shareena's professional non-profit organizational work and her music experience, she shares a passion with the Reach Out and Read® music volunteers. Shareena is currently an active volunteer in the Columbus community in which she organizes entertainment events to benefit local charity foundations.

Recognizing the importance of Reach Out and Read®, Nationwide Children’s provides significant in-kind contributions to support its daily operation. For direct expenses, the program depends solely upon the private support of individuals, foundations and corporate sponsors.

Our sincere gratitude to the following sponsors who have helped to make Nationwide Children's the largest Reach Out and Read® Program in the country.

The Siemer Family Foundation McGraw Hill Companies Tom Fennessy Back To School Project The Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics Central Ohio Education Association Columbus Education Association WBNS-10 TV All American Moving & Storage Target Half Price Books Central Ohio Professional Education Council (COPEC) COSI Opus

 Thanks to our Partners for Supporting Pediatric Literacy in central Ohio

For Corporate Giving information please contact:
Clare Ward, Vice President (Constituent Giving)
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation
Phone: (614) 355-0831
Clare.Ward@NationwideChildrens.org