Raising A Reader (RAR) is a national nonprofit organization which helps the families of children (ages 0-8) build home literacy routines essential for reading skill development. Through a national network of trusted local agencies (RAR Affiliates), parents learn researched-based book sharing practices. Each week children are excited to bring home a different bright red bag filled with high-quality, multicultural books and ask a caring loved one to spend time sharing books with them. Families are connected to their local libraries after the program to continue the habit of borrowing and sharing books.

RAR operates in more than 2,900 locations nationally, has reached more than 1.6 million children and has more than 15 million books in rotation. Since 1999, RAR’s model has been validated by 34 independent evaluations demonstrating statistically significant improvements in the family engagement, language, and early literacy skills essential for reading skill development. In addition, The Clinton Foundation’s Too Small to Fail Initiative, The White House’s Office of Hispanic Education, and The White House’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative have identified the model as a national best practice. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Education awarded the organization a prestigious Innovative Approach to Literacy Award and in 2014 identified RAR as a national model for its alignment with the recently adopted Dual Capacity Family Engagement Framework. RAR also works with many publishers and vendors to produce training materials and book bag kits tailored to a variety of ages, cultures, and languages.

Our program is aligned with Title I and provides ECE Programs, Coordination w/Head Start, Family Engagement programming, Community Engagement programming, Targeted Assistance—Transition to K, and Migrant Support Services.



.