Our Story
Wordwell was founded by Dr. Elizabeth Worley.
Wordwell was founded by Dr. Elizabeth Worley.
Across settings, Dr. Worley’s work reflects a consistent aim: to make pediatric care not only a place for medical treatment, but a platform for opportunity, stability, and early learning.
About Our Founder
Elizabeth Worley, MD, MSc is an attending pediatrician at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and a Public Health Advocate.
Throughout her career, Dr. Worley has focused on how pediatric care can address the everyday realities that shape children’s health and development.
Dr. Worley has spent the last thirty years supporting families at Jacobi Medical Center:
Founder & PRESIDENT
1999
In 1999, Dr. Worley founded the Reach Out and Read program at Jacobi Medical Center, embedding early literacy into routine pediatric visits.
What began as a fledgling program has grown into a cornerstone of care, now placing more than 20,000 books into the hands of Bronx children each year while guiding parents on the importance of reading aloud from infancy.
Building on this work,
Each child receives a backpack filled with literacy-rich supplies—books, alphabet-learning materials, and early writing tools—designed to help families continue language-building activities at home and support school readiness.
Dr. Worley developed a literacy backpack program for children at their four-year-old immunization visit, initially funded by a generous grant from the United Hospital Fund.
Over time, Dr. Worley has developed several initiatives to meet families’ basic needs, including the Jacobi Pediatrics Emergency Food Relief Program
and the diaper access initiative No Behinds Left Behind,
recognizing that food security and material support are essential to healthy development.
2021
Dr. Worley partnered with the nonprofit Welcome Baby USA to support families at the moment of a child’s birth by providing a box of essential supplies.
“A baby shower in a box,”
as one parent described it.
The program’s success at Jacobi helped catalyze a broader collaboration so that today thousands of families delivering at NYC Health + Hospitals sites now receive these boxes annually.
2025
Dr. Worley founded The Wordwell Foundation to continue improving developmental, educational, and health outcomes for children, particularly those from underserved communities.
By combining tangible resources with guidance from trusted healthcare and community partners, Wordwell seeks to promote healthy child development, family well-being, and long-term educational success.
