Last year, Raising A Reader MA (RAR-MA) was selected as a recipient for Boston Children’s Collaboration for Community Health. As a result of a $400,000 multi-year grant, RAR-MA has hired a new evaluations and operations manager, improved inter-departmental integration and evaluation systems and added 9 new program partners and expanded with 1 partner, allowing RAR-MA to reach new parents and children in Chelsea, Dorchester, Everett, Lynn, Malden and Melrose.
In its first year of funding, RAR-MA served 297 children in Greater Boston through expanded programming. This fall, RAR-MA is poised to serve 220 more children. As a collaborative program that works with community partners like early education centers, healthcare centers and public preschools, Raising A Reader MA is thrilled to announce these new program partners.
RAR-MA has long collaborated with Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) and has added ABCD East Boston, ABCD Roslindale Head Start and ABCD Roslindale English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to its list of ABCD partners.
RAR-MA also added Al-Firdaous, a nonprofit in Malden providing religious, charitable and educational activities to its constituents, where RAR-MA Parent Ambassadors will be holding parent workshops in Arabic. Among the added partners are two new Centerboard locations in Melrose and Lynn, where RAR-MA will provide workshops and books at a transitional shelter for teen mothers. The Boys & Girls Club of Dorchester is also a new partner, as well as Sonshine, Lynn Economic Opportunity, Sewell Anderson School, ROCA Chelsea and Everett CFCE playgroup. An additional classroom of program recipients was added at St. Patrick School Roxbury.
Christine Ward, Executive Director of Raising A Reader MA
“Strong collaborations are key to the success of the Raising A Reader MA program. We are honored to benefit from Boston Children’s Collaborative for Community Health and thrilled to add new partnerships with wonderful organizations around Boston to better serve families with young children,” remarks Christine Ward, Executive Director of RAR-MA.