Wednesday, July 16, 2008

A book and a baby







Jackie Clegg Dodd, wife of U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd, visited the Hospital of Saint Raphael Wednesday to support literacy and school readiness for Connecticut children, the hospital said.


Shown at right, Clegg Dodd, visits with Brooke Stegner of Hamden and newborn daughter, Paige, Wednesday at the hospital. The visit was coordinated by Saint Raphael’s and Branford-based Read To Grow, a statewide nonprofit organization that works to improve early literacy for Connecticut children, officials said.
Read To Grow meets families at Saint Raphael’s after a baby is born, linking health to the importance of early literacy, language and attachment. The Stegners, Brooke and her husband, Tom, have had all four of their children delivered at Saint Raphael’s and told Dodd they made use of Read To Grow books and information in the past, officials said.
Over the past decade, Read To Grow distributed more than 450,000 new and gently used books to children throughout Connecticut , to include hundreds through Saint Raphael’s. Each child who comes to Saint Raphael’s for a well-child visit also receives a book.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I would like to clarify a few points made about Read to Grow's programs at the Hospital of Saint Raphael. Through our partnership with the hospital, which began in 2000, we have distributed thousands of books to children, not hundreds as stated in the article. every baby born at Saint Raphael's since 2000 has gone home with a "literacy bag" that contains a new book and information about ways to help their child develop early literacy skills.
In addition, each child who comes to Saint Raphael's primary care center for a pediatric visit of any kind---well child and sick---receives books to take home with them.
Thank you.

Cindy Gerstl
Communications Coordiator, Read to Grow

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