Since 2018, we've participated in a new program aimed at building children's early math skills through books. At participating clinics, doctors and nurses in our program give young children an age-appropriate book, then demonstrate to families how the book can be used to teach early math concepts, such as counting, making comparisons, and making predictions. The program is aimed at eliminating inequity in children's math abilities later on in life. When children learn develop these essential skills in their first years of life, they are far more likely to succeed in school and beyond!

Reach Out and Read Minnesota is proud to host two of the first neo-natal intensive care unit Reach Out and Read programs in the country at M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital and Hennepin Healthcare in downtown Minneapolis. At these sites, healthcare providers trained in the program give books and special guidance on promoting early learning and healthy bonding to parents within the context of the NICU.

In this new pilot program in collaboration with the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, we are partnering with a number of clinics across the state in a new program designed to help families with young children navigate issues of race and combat early forms of prejudice. Providers trained in this new program give a specially selected book to children and families at their 6 month and 3 year well-child visit. The providers use this opportunity to guide families on how to have constructive, healthy conversations about race with their young children and address issues of bias and prejudice. This program is being implemented as of summer 2022, and we look forward to gathering and sharing the results. Click the link to download our educational bookmarks (Spanish, Hmong, and Somali versions available upon request).

Science tells us that play is fundamental to every child's learning, especially in the first years of life. It's an important way children make discoveries and build connections in their brain! That's why we've partnered with the Minnesota Children's Museum to encourage play as a tool for learning at several of our Saint Paul clinics. At each child's one year well-child visit, their medical care provider will give their family a book centered on the importance of play, discuss the power of play to build brains, and give free tickets to the Minnesota Children's Museum so they can continue to play and learn in a world-class facility. See our feature on Kare11 by clicking the link.

Libraries play a vital role in supporting literacy and providing learning resources to communities. We're proud to partner with a few of Minnesota's major library systems to make these resources more accessible. We recently partnered with Saint Paul Public Library to create multilingual posters encouraging families to use their local library and directing them to a library activities calendar. These posters, created in English, Hmong, Somali, and Spanish, were placed in our partner pediatric clinics across Saint Paul. You can read the press release by clicking the link on the image. As of 2022, we are also partnering with Hennepin County Library to create educational posters in English, Spanish and Somali which encourage parents and caregivers to talk, read, write, and sing together with their children to boost their development. These posters also promote library resources, including story times. These posters are being shared with our partner clinics across Hennepin County. If you have a suggestion for a partnership with a Minnesota library system, please reach out to us at info@reachoutandreadmn.org

Little Moments Count is statewide collaborative initiative that includes leaders in healthcare, education, and early childhood development. Together,we seek to help parents and the community understand the importance of talking, playing, reading and singing early and often with children.