Reach Out and Read

One might think that investing in programs that meaningfully support children, families, and early learning can't possibly survive the "red tape" of government bureaucracy. But when the right people with the right focus are involved, innovative and creative approaches can become a reality. This week, we talk to Dr Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr Elizabeth Erickson, Medical Director of Family Connect - Durham about North Carolina's use of federal Health Service Initiative funding to expand early literacy programming.

Can you imagine reading aloud for an incredible 3,218 nights in a row? Alice Ozma, author of "The Reading Promise", and her father Jim Brozina, a children's librarian, join us to talk about their remarkable adventure doing exactly this, lovingly known as "The Streak". In the second half of the show, actor Kyliegh Curran has a special read-aloud treat for us, perfect for this festive season.

Jason Reynolds, novelist, poet, and the Library of Congress's National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, joins us in a far-ranging, sublime, and deeply honest conversation about the power of imagination, literature, and storytelling to allow America's youth to grow, to strive, and to reverse the ills of racism and beyond.

Reading aloud brings people together, and we thank every person who reads aloud to a child. To mark this holiday devoted to giving thanks, we asked three children's authors — Traci Sorell, Ann Clare LeZotte, and Dr Sayantani DasGupta — to read aloud their own stories of gratitude.

Pulitzer prize winning journalist Nicholas Kristof has covered neglected social and economic welfare topics all over the world, but his most recent book, "Tightrope: Americans Reaching For Hope" is an exploration of poverty in America seen through a very personal lens – the community in which Nick grew up. Strikingly, while many may focus on the importance of support for adults, rehabilitation, and remediation, Nick and his co-author and wife, Sheryl WuDunn, chose to put the focus on something near and dear to the heart of this podcast: the dramatic, deep, and powerful importance of early foundational health.

We're joined by Mark Del Monte, CEO of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Dr. Nate Chomilo, pediatrician and policy expert from Minnesota, to discuss how the world of policy affects the everyday lives of children and families — and the issues to keep in mind as we vote this year.

It's easy to think that the way we think about children and parenting is the way it's always been — the birth of a child is accompanied by the expectation that that baby will grow up happy, healthy, and become an adult. However, a mere century ago that wasn't necessarily the case. So what changed? How has the role of parenting transformed? Dr. Perri Klass, author of the new book "A Good Time to Be Born", joins us to talk about the social, and medical, events that transformed childhood and parenting.

Early foundational relationships are the strongest predictor of young children's long-term success — what happens to kids in those early months and years of life sets the stage for how they relate to others and the world around them, and how those others relate to them. Dr David Willis, Developmental-Behavioral pediatrician and Senior Fellow with the Center for the Study of Social Policy, and Claudia Aristy, Director of Children of Bellevue's Reach Out and Read Program, join us to talk about how families—and the professionals that support them—can create and maintain robust early relational health.

The reality of remote learning is here, and it's led teachers and families to re-evaluate what school means during COVID-19. Josh Golin and Seth Evans, both of the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, speak to us about their recent policy statement EdTech and Education Policy During the Pandemic and the importance of getting online learning right.

Chelsea Clinton, author, advocate, and vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, joins us to talk about growing up with books, the role of books in her own children's lives, and the importance of reading programs to support all children and families.