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Michigan Capacity to Support Reach Out and Read:
Michigan has a Governor who actively promotes literacy, brain development,
and high quality early childhood experiences. Michigan has a Surgeon
General committed to promoting literacy in health care settings as a
strategy under the Prescription for a Healthy Michigan. Michigan has
a legislative Children’s Caucus that has educated themselves about
brain development and focused on promoting early childhood policy in
recent years. Michigan has also established the Early Childhood Investment
Corporation (www.ecic4kids.org) to oversee the development and funding
of a comprehensive system of early education and care. The ECIC supports
21 Great Start Collaboratives that are developing a vision and plan for
early childhood in their communities.
Michigan has a unique network of child advocacy and services organizations
that promote and educate policymakers about the importance of children’s
brain development and literacy as a means of achieving better health
and economic outcomes for families and communities. Michigan has a strong
and diverse philanthropic community that has taken leadership and provides
investments in early childhood programs.
Reading to a child from birth is shown to have a significant impact
on literacy rates and educational attainment. Among the literacy programs
in Michigan, Reach Out and Read (ROR) is unique in that it specifically
ties together health, literacy, and parental involvement. Health care
providers are often the first professional to interact with a newborn’s
family and are in a unique position to provide information about the
importance of reading on child development.
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