Committed to
supporting struggling and delayed readers at every stage in their development, Costa
Mesa-based Saddleback Publishing has partnered with CHOC Children’s to “immunize”
children in Orange County against illiteracy through their donation of over
10,000 books to the CHOC- sponsored “Reach Out and Read” Program. “Reach Out and Read” promotes early literacy
and school readiness with a research-tested, evidence-based model that is
proven to help children develop the language skills they will need to learn to
read and succeed in school.
"The
team at Saddleback is extremely excited to donate books to our friends at CHOC
in support of such an effective and worthwhile program such as ‘Reach Out and Read’,”
says Arianne McHugh, President of Saddleback Publishing. “Literacy is a crisis across the U.S.
and we are committed to doing everything we can to get the books and tools into
the hands of children who need them to help them succeed.”
"We are
so pleased to have a local partner assist us in providing books to children in
need," says pediatrician and leader of CHOC’s “Reach Out and Read” program,
Dr. Mark Colon. "As statistics have shown, the earlier we can get
children reading, and more importantly kids and parents reading together, the
better chance we have of making a lifetime reader out of that child."
CHOC’s
“Reach Out and Read” program is designed to put books into the hands of underprivileged
children during their wellness visits at CHOC clinics across Orange
County. Due to their wide range of
titles and resources, Saddleback’s donation of books has allowed Dr. Colon and
his staff to not only provide books to early readers, but also to create
opportunities for conversation with tween and teen patients about such topics
as drugs, gangs, sexual activity and orientation and many other relevant topics
addressed in Saddleback’s award-winning urban fiction collections.
ABOUT
REACH OUT AND READ
Reach Out and Read is an
evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school
readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by providing pediatricians new
books to distribute children and advice to parents about the importance of
reading aloud.
Reach Out and Read builds
on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop
critical early reading skills in children, beginning at 6 months of age. The
more than 4 million families served annually by Reach Out and Read read
together more often, and their children enter kindergarten better prepared to
succeed, with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills, and a six-month
developmental edge over their peers.
ABOUT SADDLEBACK EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING
Saddleback Educational Publishing, a second-generation family company and certified woman-owned business, kicks off its 30th anniversary with nineteen YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers Awards (2011-2012) for its high interest, low reading-level series, Urban Underground. Saddleback was also recently awarded their first Silver Medal for their Urban Fiction title, Unchained, from the Independent Publishers Book Awards, their latest series Lockwood Lions was also a finalist. With their award-winning urban fiction, adapted low-level classics, graphic novels, audio books and SMART Board Lessons for the Classroom, Saddleback continues to lead the secondary education market with innovative ways to reach reluctant learners. www.sdlback.com
Saddleback Educational Publishing, a second-generation family company and certified woman-owned business, kicks off its 30th anniversary with nineteen YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers Awards (2011-2012) for its high interest, low reading-level series, Urban Underground. Saddleback was also recently awarded their first Silver Medal for their Urban Fiction title, Unchained, from the Independent Publishers Book Awards, their latest series Lockwood Lions was also a finalist. With their award-winning urban fiction, adapted low-level classics, graphic novels, audio books and SMART Board Lessons for the Classroom, Saddleback continues to lead the secondary education market with innovative ways to reach reluctant learners. www.sdlback.com
ABOUT CHOC Children’s
Named one of the best
children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report (2012-2013) and a 2011 Leapfrog
Top Hospital, CHOC Children's is exclusively committed to the health and
well-being of children through clinical expertise, advocacy, outreach and
research that brings advanced treatment to pediatric patients. Affiliated with
the University of California, Irvine, CHOC’s regional healthcare network
includes two state-of-the-art hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo, several
primary and specialty care clinics, a pediatric residency program, and four
centers of excellence - The CHOC Children’s Heart, Neuroscience, Orthopaedic
and Hyundai Cancer Institutes.
