There was much to be celebrated as the Raising A Reader program recently completed its first year in Lawrence. After serving more than 1,500 children in its initial year, the unique program model is targeting 2,300 children in year two in an ongoing effort to narrow the academic achievement gap.
“All children deserve an equal opportunity for success,” says Donna DiFillippo, executive director of Raising A Reader Massachusetts. Through a collaborative approach that seeks to enhance early literacy skills and healthy brain development in children from birth to age 5, while simultaneously helping families bond, the program has gained great recognition and popularity in the Lawrence community. “I know the need for this particular program, and I knew it was something that was not out there already,” says Lori Jorge, Raising A Reader’s program coordinator for Lawrence.
Raising A Reader implements the program by providing resources and support to the early-care and education community, including schools and family child care providers. Parents and program partners are taught dialogic (read-aloud) techniques, as well as the benefits of book sharing. This fall, eight new program partners were added to the 10 existing partners.
Raising A Reader provides the means to combat inhibitors that might have discouraged parents from reading to their children — issues such as access to books and literacy or English language skills. Children receive bright red bags filled with award-winning books that are rotated on a weekly basis. “I always say there’s a little magic in that red bag because there’s something about it that’s just so attractive to the kids — they can’t wait to bring the red bag home,” Jorge says.
Lori Jorge reads to preschoolers in the Northern Essex Community College program. Photos by Kate Harper.
Parents enjoy the program’s emphasis on family involvement, according to Jorge. Program managers report that before participating in Raising A Reader, 68 percent of families reported sharing a book three or more times a week with their children. After the first year, 89 percent reported book sharing. “Parents are now involved in their children’s education, and it’s promoting communication between them and bringing families together,” says Diane Nutt, center director for Kid-Start in Lawrence, a program partner. “Most of all, children are being read to every day, and they are learning new words, using their imaginations, predicting the stories’ outcomes and developing comprehension skills.”
The positive effects of the program foster systemic change, which is a key to its success. According to DiFillippo research shows that preparation for kindergarten, particularly in pre-reading skills, is the most significant factor in influencing a child’s academic success, and DiFillippo predicts kindergarten teachers will see a change in their students as a result of the program. “When parents get involved early on in a child’s life, they stay involved,” she says. “The Raising A Reader program changes parental behaviors, and these behaviors change academic outcomes for children.”
Jorge is equally optimistic: “I hope to see a lot of little seeds that have been planted continue to flourish, and I hope to see kids come into the library and say, ‘I remember when I used to get that little red bag, and look at me now.’”
To learn more about Raising A Reader or to be considered for a position on the board of directors in the Greater Lawrence area, visit www.raisingareaderma.org or call (617) 292-BOOK (2665).
Community Spotlight – Raising a Reader
“All children deserve an equal opportunity for success,” says Donna DiFillippo, executive director of Raising A Reader Massachusetts. Through a collaborative approach that seeks to enhance early literacy skills and healthy brain development in children from birth to age 5, while simultaneously helping families bond, the program has gained great recognition and popularity in the Lawrence community. “I know the need for this particular program, and I knew it was something that was not out there already,” says Lori Jorge, Raising A Reader’s program coordinator for Lawrence.
Raising A Reader implements the program by providing resources and support to the early-care and education community, including schools and family child care providers. Parents and program partners are taught dialogic (read-aloud) techniques, as well as the benefits of book sharing. This fall, eight new program partners were added to the 10 existing partners.
Raising A Reader provides the means to combat inhibitors that might have discouraged parents from reading to their children — issues such as access to books and literacy or English language skills. Children receive bright red bags filled with award-winning books that are rotated on a weekly basis. “I always say there’s a little magic in that red bag because there’s something about it that’s just so attractive to the kids — they can’t wait to bring the red bag home,” Jorge says.
Lori Jorge reads to preschoolers in the Northern Essex Community College program. Photos by Kate Harper.
Parents enjoy the program’s emphasis on family involvement, according to Jorge. Program managers report that before participating in Raising A Reader, 68 percent of families reported sharing a book three or more times a week with their children. After the first year, 89 percent reported book sharing. “Parents are now involved in their children’s education, and it’s promoting communication between them and bringing families together,” says Diane Nutt, center director for Kid-Start in Lawrence, a program partner. “Most of all, children are being read to every day, and they are learning new words, using their imaginations, predicting the stories’ outcomes and developing comprehension skills.”
The positive effects of the program foster systemic change, which is a key to its success. According to DiFillippo research shows that preparation for kindergarten, particularly in pre-reading skills, is the most significant factor in influencing a child’s academic success, and DiFillippo predicts kindergarten teachers will see a change in their students as a result of the program. “When parents get involved early on in a child’s life, they stay involved,” she says. “The Raising A Reader program changes parental behaviors, and these behaviors change academic outcomes for children.”
Jorge is equally optimistic: “I hope to see a lot of little seeds that have been planted continue to flourish, and I hope to see kids come into the library and say, ‘I remember when I used to get that little red bag, and look at me now.’”
To learn more about Raising A Reader or to be considered for a position on the board of directors in the Greater Lawrence area, visit www.raisingareaderma.org or call (617) 292-BOOK (2665).