edioma is a proud sponsor for the Capital Area Reach Out and Read (CAROR) program. CAROR increases literacy among Austin-area families and interrupts the cycle of low literacy as it is passed from generation to generation. In 2006, more than 12,000 most-in-need children received the Reach Out and Read (ROR) intervention, 16,500 developmentally and culturally appropriate books were given to those children, and 19,000 new/used books were utilized and given away in waiting rooms of the clinics practicing ROR in the Greater Austin Area. Of most significance, over 8,000 parents were told by their pediatric healthcare providers about the value and developmental benefits or regularly reading to their children early and often -- and were given a prescription to read to their child for a certain period of time.

Pediatricians and early childhood specialists founded ROR in 1989 at Boston City Hospital, now part of the Boston Medical Center. Over the past 17 years, the program has evolved to become a national model for early childhood literacy and is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. There are currently ROR program sites in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. These programs are housed at hospitals, health centers, and private pediatric practices.

For more information on CAROR, please see www.caror.org.