CINCINNATI (WKRC) — Sixty percent of children in Ohio are not ready for kindergarten when they start school.

Now, a national nonprofit is working to change that by expanding access to books and promoting early literacy across the state.

Nedra Smith has seen the difference firsthand. Her two young daughters receive books through the program at their pediatrician visits at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

“They love to read now,” Smith said. “We’ll randomly be out and they’ll see a book and want to read a book.”

Reach Out and Read partners with pediatricians to give children books during regular checkups and encourage parents to read aloud with them. The program has been part of Cincinnati Children’s for more than a decade.

“They typically come in and tell us they got new books,” Smith said. “They typically ask me to read the book right then and there.”

Program leaders say early literacy is increasingly being recognized as an important part of a child’s overall health and development.

“Initially, literacy may not have been in the forefront or seen as a health benefit,” said Kristy High, program manager for Reach Out and Read. “Well-child checks focus on shots, nutrition, and those things; but now we want to focus on those main benefits for the development and milestones when it comes to learning.”

The organization is now working to expand its reach statewide, with a goal of serving children in all 88 Ohio counties.

“We know that those first five years of life are the most critical for brain development,” said Steven Lake, executive director of Reach Out and Read Ohio. “If we can intervene as early as possible, essentially, we reach out at birth; we know we can have the greatest impact.”

Smith encourages other parents to participate in the program and read to their children.

“It’s fun,” Smith said. “It’s actually fun to see them light up, and I think they’ll pass that on to their own kids as well.”

Reach Out and Read also partners with providers in Kentucky and Indiana. You can find a participating provider near you on the organization’s website.

If you are a doctor looking to participate in the program, click here.