Raising
A Reader, the national award-winning
early literacy program, addresses a national crisis: one
in three children enter kindergarten lacking basic pre-reading
skills, and almost half of low-income children are read
to less than three times a week. A high percentage of these
children never overcome this early language deficit, thus
widening the student achievement gap for our students.
Since 2001, Raising A Reader has filled a critical
niche in the spectrum of national early literacy programs,
providing a low-cost method for communities to foster read-aloud
routines in the homes of low-income families, creating a
fun, easy way to start families on the path to literacy.
The program fosters healthy brain development, parent-child
bonding and early literacy skills critical for school success
by engaging parents in a routine of daily “book cuddling”
with their children from birth to age five.
Through a child-driven process, Raising A Reader rotates
bright red bags filled with the highest quality age-appropriate
books, featuring artwork, bilingual and multicultural themes
into homes each week. The book rotation, combined with researched-based
training and a connection to the local library, motivates
families to establish “book cuddling” routines
with their little ones, leading to a love of books that
last a lifetime.
Launched in San Luis Obispo County in 2003 the program is
currently offered at three sites with funding provided by
the First 5 Commission and the San Luis Obispo County Community
Foundation. Children and their families in Oceano, Paso
Robles and Shandon engage in a daily read-aloud routine.
To date over 500 families have participated in the program
countywide with over 3,878 book bags circulated since the
program's inception. With a grant award from the Orfalea
Foundation, the San Luis Obispo County project will expand
to a total of eight sites in 2009 with additional site locations
in Paso Robles, Oceano, Los Osos, Cambria, and San Miguel.
For additional information, check out the local San Luis Obispo Community Foundation website - Raising a Reader.
You may also want to visit - Raising a Reader National Headquarters.
And, you can also contact Shannon White Bond 782-7272
or swbond@slocoe.org
