On Thursday, December 6th, the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) announced that $802,035 in Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge subcontracts were awarded to 24 communities across the Commonwealth. Nearly $475,000 in grants to eleven communities will include contracts with Raising A Reader MA to offer our evidence-based early literacy programming for children who are not enrolled in a formal early education program. This includes two Gateway Communities, Lynn and Worcester, which each received $50,000 grants. Two new partners, Cape Cod Children’s Place and the North Adams Public Schools, will also use a portion of their grants to launch partnerships with Raising A Reader MA. In addition, the Brockton Public Schools, CAPIC (Chelsea), Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Newton Public Schools, Oxford Public Schools, Revere Public Schools, and Springfield Public Schools all received grants that will be used in part to support their existing partnership with Raising A Reader MA.

With support from EEC’s Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge, Raising A Reader MA expects to help the families of 600 additional children strengthen the culture of reading at home, bringing the total number of children and families served annually to nearly 10,000.