Reach Out and Read and Romp n’ Roll announced a partnership to help encourage young readers. “Reach Out and Read Virginia is focused on preparing all children to enter kindergarten ready to read, learn, and succeed.” says Susan Rockwell, Director of Reach Out and Read Virginia. “We couldn’t find a more perfectly aligned partner than Romp n’ Roll, an organization centered on childhood enrichment and development.”

Romp n’ Roll is an enrichment center that offers gym, art and music classes for children, 3 months through age 5, as well as summer camps and birthday parties. “We love that we can host Reach Out and Read events at our 3 Richmond locations in Richmond” says Romp n’ Roll cofounder, Babz Barnett. “A core part of the Romp n’ Roll is to incorporate fun in everything we do, including reading! We are pleased to support Reach Out and Read Virginia and its educational mission.”

The first Reach Out and Read event will be on September 21 from 1:00 – 3:00 at our Mechanicsville, Midlothian, and West End locations of Romp n’ Roll. The reading event will start at 1:00 and will last about 15-minutes and will be followed by an Open Gym session in which kids and their parents can enjoy a chance to play at the Romp n’ Roll facility. This is a parent-participation event geared toward children age 5 and under. For newcomers, the cost is $8, $4 of which will go to Reach Out and Read Virginia. Current Romp n’ Roll members can attend the event for free as part of their membership. If members wish to make a donation to Reach Out and Read Virginia, they may do so at the event. Registration for all participants is required and can be done by calling 804-364-6363 or online registration is available here. Our reader will be a guest from Character Works in Richmond and the first book they will read will be about pirates in honor of Annual “Talk Like a Pirate Day” (which is August 19th).

Our reader will be in costume to support the “Pirate” event theme. For those who are interested, we also have an Open Gym session immediately following the reading event. The Reach Out and Read event will take place at all 3-Richmond locations (West End, Midlothian, and Mechanicsville) on September 21 from 1:00 – 3:00.

About Romp n’ Roll

Romp n’ Roll offers an entirely new approach to early childhood classes, camps, and parties in a whimsical environment with our kid-favorite dog mascot “Rompy.” Romp n’ Roll is the only child enrichment center focused on activities that “Nurture the Genius. Unleash the Goofball” (otherwise known as help to foster social, cognitive, physical development while having FUN!). Romp n’ Roll offers unique weekly themes and an integrated curriculum of gym, music, art, dance, and science. Founded in 2004, Romp n’ Roll is headquartered in Richmond VA and has more than 80 locations worldwide. For more information, visit www.rompnroll.com.

About Reach Out and Read

Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based, national nonprofit organization that prepares America’s families to read together. The end goal of Reach Out and Read is to prepare all children to enter kindergarten ready to read, learn, and succeed. The Reach Out and Read model is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the program has one of the strongest records of research support of any primary care intervention. This year, Reach Out and Read’s 12,000 volunteer medical providers will distribute 6.5 million new books to more than 4 million children at nearly 5,000 healthcare locations in all 50 states. www.reachoutandread.org.