Raising a Reader

Program Overview

Raising a Reader is a national nonprofit with over 25 years of experience partnering with parents through our community literacy partners to create brighter futures for children by strengthening family bonds through shared reading.  We have grown from a local early childhood literacy and family engagement program in California to a national force reaching nearly 150,000 children and families across 34 states. A trusted network of over 300 community literacy partners utilize Raising a Reader programming at over 3,000 sites, including schools, libraries, housing authorities, clinics, children and family-focused community-based organizations, migrant and Native American groups.

Our mission is to support families and inspire the development of literacy skills and a lifelong love for reading. We help children attain brighter futures in which they can thrive and contribute in school, the workforce and society.

Our evidence-based programs provide age appropriate, diverse books for children to read with caring adults in their lives. This creates shared reading routines within families, fostering social emotional learning, healthy family relationships and learning skills needed to thrive in school and beyond.

Through easy-to-use, multilingual materials and diverse stories, we meet families where they are and make shared reading more engaging and accessible for all children. 

Studies consistently show a strong positive correlation between literacy and economic success. Individuals with higher literacy levels tend to have higher incomes, as many high-paying jobs require strong literacy skills. Additionally, higher literacy levels increase employability, as many jobs require the ability to read and write proficiently. On a broader scale, countries with higher literacy rates often experience greater economic growth, as improved literacy can lead to a more skilled workforce, boosting productivity and innovation.

Raising a Reader works with community literacy partners supporting children and families in underserved areas. Of the children and families participating in Raising a Reader programs, 73% are experiencing poverty, 60% have a home language other than English, and we serve children ages 0-8. With over 300 community-based literacy partners implementing Raising a Reader in 3000 classrooms across the country, we have a deep understanding of how to support families as they encourage and build reading habits with their children.

Shared reading is one of the most beneficial things adults can do to promote their children's future development. The benefits are numerous and well established by research. From fostering brain development to increasing vocabulary and comprehension, early reading is critical to future literacy. And by creating positive parent/child experiences, shared reading builds not just reading ability but a love of reading, helping to drive lifelong literacy and the foundation for a successful education and economic self-sufficiency.

Cost Info