ReadNPlay
For a Bright Future
ReadNPlay for a Bright Future is a collaborative initiative led by ETSU Health Pediatricians
to support families to Play More, Play Together, Play Safely, and Fuel to Play!
Our newest ReadNPlay program is designed to help support the health of mothers during pregnancy and the year after birth: Caring for Motherhood.
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Learn more about our Book Bus
Learn more about the ReadNPlay Book Bus
ETSU Health’s book bus brings books, literacy resources and educational activities to local neighborhoods thanks to a partnership with Ballad Health and the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation.
Book bus stops are shared via ReadNPlay’s social media.
In its first five months, the program served an estimated 2,200 children and distributed approximately 2,600 books.
The ReadNPlay book bus includes a mobile kitchen provided by the ETSU Department of Rehabilitative Sciences. This offers access to healthy foods and nutrition education.
The ReadNPlay Book Bus is accelerated by Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (@GELF) with support from Delta Dental of Tennessee (@DeltaDentalTN). GovernorsFoundation.org. Additional funding provided by Ballad Population Health.
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Learn more about our Storybook Trail
Families can enjoy a Storybook Trail on ETSU Health’s Johnson City clinic campus.
The trail is an outdoor children’s book sharing experience where families can interact
with a book and get some physical activity. Located behind the ETSU Health Pediatrics clinic parking lot at 325 N. State of Franklin Road, the Storybook Trail is accessible to the public daily from dawn to dusk.
ETSU Health partnered with the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation and Ballad Health’s Department of Population Health to develop the trail.
The Storybook Trail brings to visitors the children's book, “A Rainy Day Adventure” by Dr. Laurie Bennie and Cathy Jo McMaken and published by East Tennessee State University and Dr. Karen Schetzina in 2014.
Play More
Shut off the screens! Did you know that the average U.S. child spends three of the first 18 years of her life watching television? Here are some tips to try to help your family reduce/manage their "screen time" (i.e. time spent watching TV & videos, playing video games, using a computer or mobile device for non-work/school purposes):
1. Order books through the Imagination Library
2. Read books to an audience of dolls or stuffed animals.
Play Together
Be active as a family. Parents, caregivers, and older siblings can model healthy behaviors
and help to create activity-promoting home environments. Here are some tips to get
you started:
1. Take a family walk after dinner 3 times per week.
2. Take baby in the stroller when you walk the dog.
Play Safely
Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of death in children. Drowning is no. 1 for toddlers 1-4 years of age. Firearm injuries recently replaced motor vehicle injuries as the leading cause of death for ages 5-19 years. Deaths in infants less than 1 year are most frequently caused by birth defects, preterm/low birth weight, and sudden unexplained infant death (SIDS/SUID). Here are some tips for keeping your family safe while you play:
1. Look around and ask friends about safe places to walk.
2. Wear brightly-colored clothing and stay aware of your surroundings when you walk.
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Playing Safely with Pepper: Firearm Safety
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Playing Safely with Pepper: Medication Safety
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Playing Safely with Pepper: Overdose Prevention
Fuel to Play
Eat healthy. Breastfeeding, eating more fruits and vegetables, and avoiding sugary drinks like soda, sweet tea, and juice drinks can make young children healthier and prevent cavities and future obesity and diabetes. Here are some tips for fueling to play in a healthy way:
1. Eat breakfast daily. Add strawberries or bananas on top of a whole-grain cereal
instead of sugar.
2. Pack your own healthy lunches for work/school.
Learn More
Fun, educational tools that have been developed include "My Baby Book," "Healthy Active Living Tips" booklet (for use to improve health care provider/parent communication about healthy behaviors during the first two years of life); a set of five posters based on our Play themes; and a series of three children's books featuring our ReadNPlay characters, Squirrel, Owl and Racoon. All materials are available in English and Spanish.
At ETSU Health Pediatrics, parents receive the “My Baby Book” during their newborn's first visit to the clinic. Not only is it interactive and filled with helpful tips, but parents may also use it as a keepsake to store photos, memories and milestones of their child. "My Baby Book" is also be available as a free mobile application that is available to download for free from Google Play and the App Store.
Each year we partner with organizations in our region on free, fun, active family community events. For information about upcoming community events, please view our calendar or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @ReadNPlay.
Interested in being a partner? Contact us: ReadNPlay@etsu.edu
Provider
Dr. Karen Schetzina
Dr. Schetzina completed her medical degree at University of North Carolina School
of Medicine, Chapel Hill in 1997. She completed her residency at Stanford University
Medical Center in 2001. She conducts research in General Pedatrics and Epidemilogy.
Partnerships
Project partners include Niswonger Children's Hospital, the Safe Kids Coalition of
Northeast Tennessee, the ETSU Center of Excellence for Early Childhood Learning and
Development among others. Please contact us if your organization is interested in
being a partner.
Engage With Us
Community partnerships and outreach are also a cornerstone of the ReadNPlay program. Each year, faculty, staff, residents, and students engage with thousands of children and families at family community events throughout the region. These events provide opportunities to connect families with education, information, and resources in a fun, relaxed environment. A ReadNPlay Safe and Healthy Home tent, garage, and cars were created for use at outreach events. This unique display is based on the home featured in the ReadNPlay books, and includes the entire story of A Safety Hero Adventure on its walls. It is the world of ReadNPlay brought to life-size!
Acknowledgements
Since 2011, ReadNPlay for a Bright Future has been supported through grants from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Tennessee Department of Health, and HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration). Current funding is provided from Ballad Health’s Department of Population Health and the Governor’s Foundation for Early Literacy (GELF).