Bring Bilingual Books & Materials to Children 0-8

That statement came from a Mom in Pheonix, Arizona. She was part of a Southwest Human Development initiative to target illiteracy and deliver Raising A Reader right where it was absolutely needed most. 

Since you joined us with your generous support we have told you a lot about Raising A Reader for Elementary Schools in Illinois and programs for pre-schoolers in California. We know that we are changing lives in child care centers in Baltimore. And we know that Raising A Reader works as a program in Public Libraries across the country.

But did you know in 2011 Raising A Reader became available to families right in the buildings in which they live, in low-income housing?

We believe - and we know you do too - that every child deserves the best start in life. With more than one third of US children entering school each year without the basic literacy skills they need we are determined to reach every child at-risk wherever they are.

Including the buildings in which they live!

The 2011 partnership between Raising A Reader, Southwest Human Development and Arizona Multihousing Association enabled a regular meeting place for parents and their children to rotate beautiful high-quality Raising A Reader books. Through initial training and ongoing support parents, including many with limited English proficiency and/or low literacy skills, learn to engage their children with books as well as being introduced to the local public library.

Since 2011 3,000 children have participated with their families.

Trainers heard from parents that they never knew reading was important from birth, that their own parents had never read to them and they had never known the tremendous joy of sharing books.

In feedback another Mom wrote:

"I loved that you lent us books so I had the privilege of reading with my children. Raising A Reader helped me develop a better relationship with my kids.  No matter where we are, every moment is a good opportunity to read and let our imaginations fly." 

Imagine the impact on each child’s life to have their parents engaged in their learning right from the start!

Independent evaluations show participating families are developing and sustaining home reading routines as a result of the program. Parents report a 471% increase in time spent sharing books with their children (five or more times a week) and participating Spanish-speaking families have increased library visits with their children by 300%.

It is only through the continued generosity of you our supporters that we gain such traction in advancing the standard of early literacy across the country, one child at a time! Thank you for playing a crucial role in generating change for so many children and families. 

Yours in Book Sharing
The Raising A Reader Team

Ps. We encourage you to contact us directly with any questions you have about Raising A Reader: rarinquiry@raisingareader.org

Links:

• "Develop, Practice, Sustain" - More about RAR programs

As summer ends and school starts up again hundreds of thousands of children across the country are receiving their red Raising A Reader book bags for the very first time
For many of these children the opportunity to read high-quality books and share them with their families will be the first in their lives. Studies show that less than half of US children living at or below the poverty line start school with the reading and language skills they need for future success. Children from non-English speaking backgrounds are even more at-risk. Raising A Reader works to combat these issues and help ensure that ALL children can make the start they need no matter what their background.

New programs, new children and new families from California to Illinois
In La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District on California’s South Coast the opportunity gap for low-income Spanish-speaking children is a serious concern . Working with local community organizations to assess local need and promote literacy, Raising A Reader will be implemented as part of a suite of services aimed at supporting South Coast families. We are excited to be part of this local initiative that will help to ensure South Coast children have the strong start they deserve.

This Fall, in Mundelein Illinois, the Fremont Public Library will launch a two-year program focused on children who speak English as a second language. The program, which will begin by specifically targeting 80 children from District 75’s bilingual preschool, will reach children just as they are developing their literacy skills. Featuring bicultural and bilingual books the program will focus on empowering parents to work through the language and learning barriers they face in order to better support their child’s education.

- Did you know, 80% of Raising A Reader families are living at or below the poverty line and 48% speak English as a second language -
 

Thank you for supporting early language and literacy
It is only through the support of generous donors and funders like you that we can implement our programs across 34 states and plan for the future of child literacy in this country. It is with humble gratitude that we see you come together as a community of donors, each giving what you can, towards this monolithic goal of ensuring every child has the best possible academic start. Together we can make a real difference in the life of every child and every family we serve.
 

With gratitude,
Yours in book sharing
The Raising A Reader Team

Links:

• RAR volunteering, and other exciting ways to get involved