July Third Thursday Webinar
Building Brains Through Relationships:
Promoting Early Relational Health with Reach Out and Read
Thursday, September 17
at 12pm on Zoom
What to Expect
We warmly invite you to join us for an inspiring Third Thursday webinar with Emily Bartels, the State Director for Reach Out and Read in South Carolina.
This session explores how Reach Out and Read promotes early relational health by strengthening the relationships between young children, their caregivers, and healthcare providers through shared reading and guidance during pediatric visits.
Participants will learn how reading together supports healthy brain development, language acquisition, secure attachment, and responsive caregiving while creating meaningful opportunities to foster positive parent-child interactions. The session will also highlight practical strategies for integrating relational health into clinical practice through book sharing, anticipatory guidance, and strengths-based conversations with families.
Through examples from pediatric practice, participants will gain ideas for using Reach Out and Read to encourage nurturing relationships, promote early literacy, and support family resilience. Attendees will leave with practical approaches they can apply in their own settings to advance early relational health and improve developmental outcomes for children and families.
Meet our Presenter
Emily Bartels
State Director | Reach Out and Read
Emily Bartels is the State Director for Reach Out and Read in South Carolina, a national non-profit that equips pediatric medical clinicians to share age-appropriate books and guidance with caregivers and patients during well-child visits, fostering early childhood development and foundational relationships. She is a graduate of the College of Charleston and has dedicated 20 years to Reach Out and Read. She serves on the South Carolina Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Coalition. She is a member of First Baptist Church Clemson, where she serves on the Personnel Ministry Team, Youth Ministry Team, and is a former member of the Finance Stewardship Team. An avid reader, she values lifelong learning both professionally and personally.
