Brockton is one of the most recent Raising A Reader MA communities, launched in 2010 as a result of an initial grant by the Edith Glick Shoolman Children’s Foundation.
Why Brockton?
Since 1985, the National Commission on Reading has noted that the “single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning kindergarten.”
Unfortunately there is a persistent achievement gap in many communities across the Commonwealth. This gap is linked to common social concerns such as family poverty, low educational attainment, limited access to available educational and other resources, and high rates of low literacy.
Brockton’s community data profile, made available through our friends at Strategies for Children, remind us of the level of need in the community.
Where are we in Brockton?
Currently, the Brockton site includes 33 classrooms and a total of 432 children.Implementation partners include:
- Public schools: Gilmore Early Childhood Center, Project Grads at the Brockton High School
- Child care centers: Self-Help Inc. Head Start
- Home visiting: South Bay Early Intervention
- Community-based organizations: Adult Learning Center – to share with parents the importance of reading to their children at an early age so it becomes part of their daily routine.
Staff
Our Brockton program is staffed by Regional Program Manager Catherine Silva and one Site Coordinator. Have a question for Catherine? Call her at 617-292-BOOK (2665). Her email address is catherine@raisingareaderma.org.