Dreyfus Corporation Sponsors Reach Out and Read

Posted on October 31, 1997

The Dreyfus Corporation today became the first New York Metropolitan area corporate sponsor of Reach Out and Read (ROR), a national early literacy program. The announcement was made today by Dr. Perri Klass, medical director of ROR.

The ROR program, which is dedicated to improving literacy skills among young children at risk, integrates books and reading into regular pediatric care for children between the ages of six months and five years. Dreyfus has donated $50,000 to ROR, which will use matching funds to underwrite the cost of books and pediatric training for approximately 12,000 well-child visits to Bellevue Hospital Center. Children of Bellevue, a non-profit organization that funds quality of life programs for pediatric patients at Bellevue Hospital, has agreed to match Dreyfus' contribution. To complement Dreyfus' donation, Scholastic Books has agreed to donate 5,000 books to the ROR book collection at Bellevue. The program will be implemented through Bellevue Hospital's Pediatric Resource Center.

ROR was recognized in April by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as a vital part of a new national partnership to ensure that every child in America under age five is read to regularly by the year 2000. In support of the President's Initiative, "Prescription for Reading," ROR will train 10,000 pediatricians to implement ROR programs in their local communities.

Children participating in the ROR program receive a new book from their pediatrician during each well-child visit, from six months to five years old. ROR also trains pediatricians to integrate "reading prescriptions" into the course of routine visits and encourages parents to read to their children to aid development.

In addition to providing financial support, Dreyfus also will encourage its employees to donate their time through the "Hear the Lion ROR" Dreyfus Employee Volunteer Program, which is currently in development. Through this effort, participating employees will be given the opportunity to volunteer to read stories to children while they wait for pediatric appointments.