Raising A Reader New Implementer Training
Raising A Reader (RAR) is a national nonprofit organization that helps children and families successfully build, practice and sustain literacy routines vital to academic success, with special attention to children at highest risk for educational failure. RAR’s mission is to engage caregivers in a routine of book sharing with their children from birth through age eight to foster healthy brain development, healthy relationships, a love of reading, and the literacy skills critical for school success.
RAR rotates bright red bags filled with award-winning books into children’s homes on a weekly basis, exposing children to over 100 books per rotation cycle. RAR pairs this book rotation with parent training and information on how to effectively share books to promote children’s early literacy skills and love of learning. Families are also connected with their local public and school libraries through special ‘graduation’ ceremonies and literacy events. At this time, children receive their own blue library book bag so they can continue the practice of borrowing books and build a lifelong habit of reading. RAR is an evidence-based, scalable and affordable model through which schools can engage families in home-based literacy practices.
Founded in 1999 as one of the nation’s earliest venture philanthropy enterprises, RAR occupies a unique space in the nonprofit literacy world by filling a gap in family engagement programming for children ages 0-8. Today, RAR reaches more than 130,000 children and families each year throughout the US, 80% of whom are living at or below the poverty level and more than 50% of which are English Language Learners. Since its inception 15 years ago, RAR has reached over 1.75 million children and families throughout the country.
RAR rotates bright red bags filled with award-winning books into children’s homes on a weekly basis, exposing children to over 100 books per rotation cycle. RAR pairs this book rotation with parent training and information on how to effectively share books to promote children’s early literacy skills and love of learning. Families are also connected with their local public and school libraries through special ‘graduation’ ceremonies and literacy events. At this time, children receive their own blue library book bag so they can continue the practice of borrowing books and build a lifelong habit of reading. RAR is an evidence-based, scalable and affordable model through which schools can engage families in home-based literacy practices.
Founded in 1999 as one of the nation’s earliest venture philanthropy enterprises, RAR occupies a unique space in the nonprofit literacy world by filling a gap in family engagement programming for children ages 0-8. Today, RAR reaches more than 130,000 children and families each year throughout the US, 80% of whom are living at or below the poverty level and more than 50% of which are English Language Learners. Since its inception 15 years ago, RAR has reached over 1.75 million children and families throughout the country.
New RAR Implementer Training Learning Objectives
Raising A Reader’s Coordinator Training provides individuals with an overview of the theories and research that underpin the program as well as the tools necessary for a successful program implementation.
Specifically, the RAR Implementer Training is composed of the following learning objectives:
Obj 1: Program Aims By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Obj 2: Program Overview and Theory of Change By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Obj 3: Core Program Components By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Obj 5: Motivating and Training Parents: Parent Engagement Workshops By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Obj 6: Program Implementation By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
Specifically, the RAR Implementer Training is composed of the following learning objectives:
Obj 1: Program Aims By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Articulate the four central aims of Raising A Reader and their importance to children’s school and life success.
- Become familiar with seminal and current research findings on brain development, early language and literacy development, intrinsic motivation and family engagement.
- Access research-based strategies to support the aims of the RAR.
Obj 2: Program Overview and Theory of Change By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Describe the Raising A Reader program
- Understand the history of RAR
- Become familiar with the impacts and implications of the RAR program
- Identify RAR’s Theory of Change and Core Model
Obj 3: Core Program Components By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Articulate and implement the four RAR core program components, including:
- RAR’s Train-the-Trainer Model
- Book Bag Rotation
- Library Partnership
- Family Engagement Workshops
- Program Evaluation
- Understand the purpose of the Parent Kick-Off Orientation
- Assist your Implementers in planning a successful Kick-Off event for families
Obj 5: Motivating and Training Parents: Parent Engagement Workshops By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Understand the importance of Parent Engagement Workshops
- Assist your Implementers in recruiting parents to attend Parent Engagement Workshops and events
Obj 6: Program Implementation By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Develop an implementation plan that follows the Raising A Reader core model
