HOUSE RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING REACH OUT AND READ RHODE ISLAND DAY ON MARCH 3, 2026 IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND, the official text

H8222 2026 -- H 8222 ======== LC005892 ======== STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N RECOGNIZING REACH OUT AND READ RHODE ISLAND DAY ON MARCH 3, 2026 IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND Introduced By: Representatives Caldwell, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Kennedy, Ajello, Shallcross Smith, Fellela, Diaz, and Fogarty Date Introduced: March 03, 2026 Referred To: House read and passed 1 WHEREAS, Reach Out and Read Rhode Island is a local, nonprofit organization 2 dedicated to building a world where every child is read to every day by supporting families with 3 young children through the power of shared reading and early literacy; and 4 WHEREAS, The organization partners with pediatricians and family medicine providers 5 across Rhode Island to encourage families to read aloud every day starting at birth as a way to 6 build early literacy skills, strengthen family bonds and empower parents to be their child s first 7 and most important teacher; and 8 WHEREAS, Families participating in the Reach Out and Read RI program receive 9 developmentally appropriate, new books at no cost during well-child visits from birth through age 10 five, helping to build home libraries and spark early developmental, language, and emotional 11 skills; and 12 WHEREAS, Reading aloud with young children not only promotes language acquisition 13 and cognitive development but also strengthens parent-child bonds and supports healthier brain 14 growth during the critical early years of life; and 15 WHEREAS, Reach Out and Read RI has served Rhode Island since 1999, currently 16 partnering with nearly 70 medical sites statewide and a network of over 400 medical clinicians, 17 providing books and literacy guidance at more than 100,000 well-child visits last year alone and 18 serving 50,000 children; and 19 WHEREAS, Recognizing and celebrating Reach Out and Read RI Day on March 3 raises 1 public awareness of the importance of early childhood literacy, encourages community support 2 for family reading, and honors the dedicated pediatric partners and volunteers who serve Rhode 3 Island’s children; now, therefore be it 4 RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 5 commemorates March 3, 2026, as Reach Out and Read Rhode Island Day in the State of Rhode 6 Island in recognition of the vital role that early literacy, family reading, and community 7 engagement play in the healthy development and lifelong success of Rhode Island’s youngest 8 residents; and be it further 9 RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 10 transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Aimee Falso, Executive Director of Reach Out 11 and Read RI. ======== LC005892 ======== LC005892 - Page 2 of 2