Raising A Reader (RAR) is a nationally-acclaimed early literacy and family engagement program that helps families of children aged 0-8 develop, practice and maintain home-based literacy routines critical for school success. We have over 15 million books in rotation and have served more than 1.5 million children in 2,700 sites located in 34 states in the U.S. Our partner locations include community resource centers, Head Start/Early Head Start, elementary schools, apartment communities, subsidized housing programs, migrant programs, community agencies, public libraries, faith-based organizations, food banks, home visiting programs, after-school care, summer camps, direct service settings, teen parent programs, daycares, Pre-K programs, Native American Tribes, military bases, and as an employee benefit (particularly when the employer offers on-site daycare). We offer both 0-PreK programs and School Age programs up through 2nd grade and our book collection is comprised of titles that are chosen each year by experienced educational experts using the following criteria: multicultural offerings, age-appropriateness, content/format, window and mirror philosophy, vibrant and engaging illustrations, among others. Our book collections offer 14 different languages as well as STEM/Financial Literacy, mixed diversity, multicultural, exceptional diversity, touch and feel, and wordless offerings. The RAR program is unique in that it is a scalable, turnkey early literacy AND family engagement program that is grounded in research (32 independent evaluations), language based, and promotes holistic skill development. RAR has been nominated and is the recipient of numerous industry awards including Fast Company (non-profit innovation), is a current partner with the Grade-Level Reading Campaign and National Anchor Partner with HUD for the Book-Rich Environment Initiative (BRE), and identified by My Brother's Keeper Alliance as best-practice in programmatic success in the field.

early literacy family engagement Head Start Pre-K Common Core early literacy and language development reading children's reading literacy habits family literacy emergent literacy skills reading motivation ESSA Grade Level Reading intrinsic reading motivation BRE Initiative Title I STEM Two-generational children's reading Non-Profit Nonprofit Organization Management Social Assistance