Literacy Promotion Strategies Within Reach Out and Read: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Literacy promotion (LP) is an essential component of primary care. This study explored different LP strategies in 2 cohorts of children aged 6 months to 6 years coming for routine care. In cohort 1 (N = 24), LP consisted mainly of advice. In cohort 2 (C2, N = 21), LP prioritized observing parent-child dyads reading aloud and giving feedback. Parents were interviewed 1 to 2 weeks later. LP took longer in C2 (138 ± 66 seconds vs 73 ± 50, P < .001), and parents were more likely to recall having learned about reading aloud (48% vs 8%, P < .001), even after controlling for time spent. More parents in C2 reported uncertainty about their reading aloud skills (73% vs 22%, P < .002) and a desire to learn more about reading aloud (100% vs 17%, P < .001). Observation and feedback may make LP more memorable to parents and is more likely to motivate parents to improve their skills in this area.

Keywords

literacy promotion anticipatory guidance reading aloud Reach Out and Read parenting

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