In January 2008, we were thrilled to begin our collaboration with the Raising A Reader program.  Since its founding in 1999 in Silicon Valley, Raising A Reader has spread to affiliate chapters all over the country, including the Alameda County chapter, which is supported by United Way of the Bay Area.  The program teaches families to incorporate “book cuddling” into their routine to foster healthy brain development, parent-child bonding and positive early experiences with reading. 

Picture Books to Take Home Build Essential Pre-reading Skills

National studies have shown that 61% of low-income families have no children’s books in their homes.  The Raising A Reader program aims to address this issue by giving families access to a rotating “book bag” of high-quality multicultural picture books to take home and share with their children to help them build essential pre-reading skills. Through the program, our parents are empowered to take an active role in building their children’s early literacy skills by sharing books with their children in a variety of creative ways. Giving parents different “read-aloud” strategies, such as creating a story based on the book’s illustrations or having children describe the actions depicted, inspires parents with lower literacy levels to share books with their children. The children bring the bright red book bags home on Thursdays and return them on Tuesdays, so that they may spend the weekend enjoying the rotating selection of picture books.  

Song, Movement and Imagination Keep the Children Engaged

Currently, Raising A Reader’s book bag check out program has been incorporated into our toddler and three-year-old classes, and we are working with Raising A Reader to increase the grant so that every class can experience this program. Sara Levine, Director of Raising A Reader’s Alameda County chapter, has visited the five participating classrooms several times over the last few months to read stories with the children so that they are comfortable with her. Sara tells us that “it’s amazing to see how excited the children get about reading.” We joined her on one of her story time visits, and “excited” does not even begin to describe the children’s reaction to her arrival!  The moment she walked into our three-year-old Hummingbirds classroom carrying Raising A Reader’s signature bright red book bag, the children greeted her with enthusiastic shouts of, “Hi Sara!” Using a combination of song, movement and imagination, Sara kept the children engaged in her story from beginning to end. As she put it, “It helps to be goofy.”

Setting the Stage for a Lifelong Love of Books

At the end of the program, which coincides with our academic year in August, we will hold an award gathering at which each child will receive their own Raising A Reader bag to keep and be recognized for their participation.  We are confident that our children’s experience with the Raising A Reader program will prepare them for a lifetime of academic success, and a lifelong love of books.