Raising A Reader

Program Overview

Raising A Reader (RAR) is a national nonprofit organization that has successfully helped families build, practice, and maintain literacy routines in their homes since 1999, with special attention to children at highest risk for educational failure. RAR is an evidence-based, scalable and affordable program with 34 independent evaluations demonstrating its impact over time and across settings.

Today, Raising A Reader works with 290 affiliate partners in more than 2,900 sites throughout the United States. One of our key successes is our Baltimore project where RAR's core program serves 10,000 children each year working with
various partners. This project was initially launched with private funding and now is maintained primarily with public funding because of its effectiveness in supporting learning in the classroom.

Since 1999, more than 1.5 million children have participated in RAR's proven program. any of these children live in poverty and nearly half are English Language Learners. In 2017 RAR launched one of the nation's most ambitious early literacy initiatives, RAR 3.0M, with a goal of reaching three million
children in all 50 states and Puerto Rico by the end of 2020.

The impact of the program includes increased frequency and length of time families devote to sharing books with their children. Time spent sharing books at home reinforces emerging decoding and comprehension skills. It also helps children to associate reading with pleasurable experiences outside the realm of school and homework. In addition, the establishment and engagement of children in book sharing routines with parents and/or caregivers not only demonstrates that reading is a priority but sets the stage for homework habits essential for academic success. Another important impact of the program is to ensure that lower-income children have access to high quality reading materials in their home as is the case for their more affluent peers. Lastly, the RAR program is expected to lead to increases in family library visits. Libraries are an important resource, particularly for lower-income families.

Cost Info