Strategic Plan
In July2011, Raising A Reader MA’s Board of Directors approved a one-year strategic plan for the organization. This plan, detailed below, was created with significant support from a team of consultants organized through Harvard Business School’s Community Action Partners program.
The two goals laid out in the FYE 2012 strategic plan include:
Goal 1) Enhance and Standardize Core Service Model
- Fundamental emphasis on parent engagement and education
- Utilize program partners in parent outreach efforts
- Incorporate new staffing structure
Goal 2) Leverage Additional Impact Through Community Integration and Commitment - Beacon Community Model
- Collaborate with community coalition committed to early literacy
- Measure effectiveness of Beacon Community Model in enhancing parent outreach efforts
- Explore potential to scale Beacon Community concept
From these goals emerged the following strategic priorities:
- Pursue a deep immersion strategy of changing literacy behavior in the home;
- Measure the enhanced impact of our Beacon Community Model over our Core Service Model and identify key drivers of success;
- Translate the essence of the value we deliver into high impact communications;
- Strengthen development infrastructure.
As we wrap up the current fiscal year and move into FYE 2013 we see that Raising A Reader MA is in the position to expand its evidence-based, early literacy program to serve up to 150% more high-need children over the next three years. With funds from the Race to the Top/Early Learning Challenge grant awarded to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in December 2011, Raising A Reader MA is developing collaborations with local Coordinated Family and Community Engagement grantees to create new avenues for supporting family-oriented early literacy development. The Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care has asked Raising A Reader MA to be prepared to serve as many as 3,000 new children and families in four new cities by as early as September 2012. Over the life of the four-year Race to the Top grant, this figure could grow to as many as 2,000 children in each of six communities. However, after the grant period is over, state funding for these services are expected to end.