$300,000 grant will provide books to 35,000 children

The James M. Cox Foundation announced Monday a $300,000 grant to support Reach Out and Read, Georgia’s Rx for Success initiative. The grant will ensure that 35,000 children receive high-quality books during visits to their pediatricians. Through the program, children ages six months to five years receive a new, age-appropriate book to take home, and doctors and nurses provide guidance to parents about the importance of reading aloud with their children every day. “Reach Out and Read Georgia is an important early intervention that leverages the voice of hundreds of trusted doctors across the state to improve outcomes for the state’s most vulnerable children,” said Bobby Cagle, commissioner of Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Reach Out and Read recently received the prestigious David M. Rubenstein Prize, the top honor among the 2013 Library of Congress Literacy Awards.