Volunteer Reader, Mary Jane carries the large yellow Read to Me! book bag that contains An assortment of favorite read-aloud books

Read to Me! Reads to You at the IWK

A hospital waiting room can be a stressful place for children and their families. In January 2002 Read to Me!launched a reading program at the IWK Health Centre for children who are awaiting treatment. The program runs in the Emergency Department, Outpatient Day Clinics, Same Day Surgery and has recently expanded to the Perinatal Follow-up Clinic. The simple act of sharing a story with a child can bring comfort and joy and help make the time seem to fly by.

Reading to children in the hospital is a powerful way of highlighting the importance of families reading together. It reinforces the message that reading is fun and an important part of a child's health and well being. Readers also give families a ‘reading tips’ brochure which contains a list of recommended books for children.

In addition to tried and true read-aloud favorites, our volunteers also use puppets as storytelling props.This makes a book more interactive and allows children to become involved in the story. Many children have enjoyed dressing the "Froggy" puppet as the volunteer reads the book, Froggy Gets Dressed.

Volunteer reader, Megan Moriarty reads to a Young Visitor at the IWK Health Centre

Research has supported the impact of the hospital reading program. A study conducted on the Emergency Department reading program provided anecdotal evidence that wait times seemed shorter when a volunteer reader was present. Another study,conducted by Dr. Patrick McGrath and Crystal Coates on the Same Day Surgery reading program showed a significant reduction of anxiety in children aged 5-8 years who were read to.

Feedback from families has been extremely positive. One family phoned the Read to Me! office to pass along thanks to Ian, one of our volunteer readers. Their three year old had spent time prior to her surgery reading Bark, George! with Ian. A few days later, when asked about her experience at the IWK, the little girl excitedly talked about Ian and reading Bark, George! but did not mention her surgery. This story is a wonderful testament not only to our talented reader, Ian, but also the entertaining and distracting nature of a good book!

Helen Quinlan-Hainse, VP Scotiabank, Nova Scotia Southwest

A Special Thanks to ...

Helen Quinlan-Hainse, VP Scotiabank, Nova Scotia Southwest,
reads to Baby Eldon during a celebration of Scotiabank's donation of $50,000 to the Read to Me! Program