We have never had to apply or report before, why do you have these ​requirements?

Reach Out and Read does not have the resources to bring the program to every clinic in every state. Having a national ​application process helps us plan, fundraise, and budget for bringing on new sites. It also helps ensure that our expansion ​is equitable and prioritizes historically marginalized communities.

And having a reporting requirement helps us:

• Identify clinics where we need to provide additional program support;
  
• Anticipate what fundraising we will need to do to meet the region’s book needs; and
  
• Ensure that all of the programs in our region meet the same high quality standards.
  

Why do we have to complete training before we can start the program?

Anyone who conducts well child visits (MDs, DOs, RNs, PAs) needs complete a one time, online, CME-qualified training. We ​know that there are tremendous pressures on their time but we believe that the quality of their anticipatory guidance is ​essential to the success of the program and that they are the vital link to improving outcomes for children and families. ​We want everyone to have the same tools and language to communicate that anticipatory guidance.

What do I need to have in order to complete an application?

You can start and stop an application as many times as you would like. You can temporarily put “n/a” in a section in order ​to move through other parts of the application you are ready to complete, but you will eventually need:

• Information about how many children you see each year and their demographics (age, race, language spoken at home, ​and insurance coverage).
  
• Your clinic’s W9 (a federal form that documents your Taxpayer Identification Number)
  
• If you are a nonprofit organization, a copy of your IRS 501c3 determination letter
  
• A letter from your organization’s leadership indicating that they support your clinic’s participation in Reach Out and ​Read. (There is a template on the National Center’s website, and we have a special one for our region’s Federally ​Qualified Health Centers.)
  

If you are having trouble answering a question, please contact us.

What if we are a Federally Qualified Health Center?

We are prioritizing bringing on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). If your organization is a FQHC, many of the ​National Center’s application questions do not apply to you but you cannot leave them blank. Please contact us directly for ​help in filling out your application.

So, what’s the plan?

We want to serve as many children and families as possible but we haven’t had time to build the funding and program ​capacity we would need to bring on all of Maine’s sites at once, so we are phasing our expansion. We are working to ​determine how many clinics we can bring on, when we can bring them on, and how they will be prioritized. We do know ​that we will initially prioritize Federally Qualified Health Centers. We will update this FAQ as we have more information.

What does your timing look like for bringing on clinics?

We are currently accepting applications and working with clinics that have approved applications to ensure that they are ​ready to start as soon as possible after July 1, 2024. If we have more interested sites than we have funding for, some sites ​will be waitlisted and brought on as resources allow.

Should my fundraising team start applying for grants to purchase books for ​our clinic?

To sustainably support Maine going forward, Reach Out and Read plans to seek funding from corporations, foundations, ​and individual donors. We generally have more success and are able to tap into larger grants than individual clinics doing ​their own asks because we fundraise on behalf of entire communities, states, or regions. We encourage you to let us ​fundraise on your behalf and not pursue funding specifically for books at this moment.

Is it possible to support Reach Out and Read in Maine directly?

Absolutely! We need all the help we can get to make this a smooth transition for families and clinics. We’d encourage you ​to visit the donation page we have created just for Maine programs.

Talk with parents about the ​benefits of reading aloud and ​engaging with their young ​children in language rich ​activities

Encourage families to cuddle ​up, read together at home, and ​build routines around books

Give the child a new, ​developmentally and culturally ​appropriate book for their ​home library