Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority celebrated Read Your World Day with Reach Out and Read North Carolina to launch of new Cherokee-English children’s books designed to expand access to culturally relevant early literacy resources for Cherokee families.
The ᏗᏗᎪᎵᏯ! Didigoliya! (Let’s Read!) celebration was held at Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA), where community partners, healthcare leaders, and children gathered to mark the introduction of the new titles into pediatric primary care.
Annual Read Your World Day highlights the importance of diverse and multicultural books, authors, and publishers, making the launch an especially meaningful opportunity to spotlight stories that reflect Cherokee language, culture, and families. The new books include Cherokee syllabary and were developed to support both early literacy and language preservation.
With the help of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, Reach Out and Read collaborated with the Cherokee Studies Program at Western Carolina University and Cherokee Language Programs to ensure the books authentically reflect Cherokee culture, history, and lived experience. The books will be shared with families during well-child visits at primary care clinics serving Cherokee children in western North Carolina.
CIHA Pediatrician Dr. Linda Givens serves as the program’s Medical Champion and spoke about the importance of Reach Out and Read’s mission as early literacy is proven to help children be able to read to at home, develop stronger language skills, and enter school better prepared to learn.
During the event, Taylor Wilnoty, Curriculum Instruction Coordinator with Kituwah Preservation & Education Program read the new books aloud in Cherokee with the help of a kindergarten class from New Kituwah Academy, offering a powerful demonstration of how language, culture, and storytelling come together in early childhood settings.
Reach Out and Read currently partners with three North Carolina tribal clinical sites serving Cherokee families, including the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority’s Pediatric Clinic, which has participated in Reach Out and Read for more than 21 years. Across these sites, primary care providers complete more than 750 well-child visits each year, giving families regular opportunities to receive books and guidance on shared reading in a trusted healthcare environment.
“Pediatric care is a trusted space where families build habits that shape a child’s future,” said Casey Cooper, CEO of the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority. “Partnering with Reach Out and Read and working alongside Cherokee language leaders allows us to share books that honor Cherokee language and culture while supporting early learning and family connection from the very beginning.”
Across North Carolina, Reach Out and Read’s evidence-based model continues to show measurable impact. In FY25, Reach Out and Read North Carolina reached children during more than 800,000 well-child visits statewide by integrating books and shared reading guidance into routine pediatric care.
“When children hear their own language in books, it transforms the reading experience,” said Callee Boulware, Reach Out and Read regional director for the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. “Decades of research show that pairing books with guidance during pediatric visits strengthens caregiver-child relationships, supports early brain development, and reinforces reading together as a foundation for lifelong learning, especially when books reflect a family’s language and culture.”
Looking ahead, Reach Out and Read North Carolina plans to continue working in partnership with the Cherokee community and Cherokee language leaders to develop additional children’s books written by and for Cherokee families. The effort reflects a shared commitment to language preservation, cultural continuity, and supporting healthy child development through stories that reflect the world children see around them.