Why Early Literacy
Over 30 years of research and 39 independent evaluations show that being regularly read to by a parent or caregiver before kindergarten is the most significant factor impacting a child’s academic success.
Our Mission is to close the literacy opportunity gap among children ages birth to age six in under-resourced communities by helping families develop and practice shared home reading habits.
We equip parents to be their child’s first teacher, empowered to be active participants in their child’s education, to make interactive reading a joyful and rewarding routine for all families, impacting success in school and beyond.
It Really Works!
Somaya, RAR-MA Parent
Did you know?
Our Events help raise essential sponsor support and are an important part of our efforts to equip parents to be their child’s first teacher.
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Closing the Literacy
Opportunity Gap
Our Model
Raising A Reader MA partners with centers of early education and other community-based organizations to offer our evidence-backed dual intervention solution.
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Book Bag Rotation
Our signature Red Book Bag rotation program allows each child to bring home a different bag of books each week, exposing him or her to dozens of classic and new titles throughout the year.
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Parent Workshops
Our staff offers a series of individually tailored, evidence-based parent educational workshops that focus on discrete interactive reading strategies to strengthen the culture of reading at home.
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RAR-MA Events
PURCHASE TICKETS TODAY!
Our Dinner with an Author Gala returns May 11, 2023!
with authors
Julie Brown, Christy Cashman, Laura DeSisto, Emily Franklin, Allegra Goodman, Beth C. Greenberg, Lynne Reeves Griffin, Desmond Hall, Diane Hessan, Virginia Hume, Rachel Kadish, Henriette Lazaridis, William Landay, Helen Elaine Lee, William Martin, Claire Messud, Ben Mezrich, Tonya Mezrich, Michael Ponsor, Edward Lee Rocha, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Dan Shaughnessy, Katherine Sherbrooke, Nadia Liu Spellman, Ilyon Woo, James Wood, and more!
Stay tuned for event announcements
RAR-MA News
- RAR-MA Featured in WellesleyWeston Magazine
- Community Spotlight: Lilliana Tirado Arteaga
- Community Spotlight: Maria Mombeleur
- BIG NEWS! RAR-MA awarded Cummings Grant
Our Impact
Increased Use of
Reading Strategies
Parents increasingly use dialogic reading strategies (such as asking questions and talking about new words) with their children after attending our workshops.
Increased Reading
Frequency
After participating in the Raising A Reader MA program, parents/caregivers consistently report increasing the number of times a week they read with their children.
By The Numbers
78%
Caregivers who were not reading 3 times a week, report reading 3+ times a week.
78%
Caregivers report using at least 3 new reading strategies with their children.
76%
Partners report that families improve the way they share books together.
30 Million
By age 3, children from economically privileged families have heard 30 million more word than children from low income families.
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Testimonials