Raising A Reader San Francisco and Alameda Counties

Description

Description

Working with childcare providers, RAR Alameda County rotates a set of bright red bags filled with award-winning children's books into the homes of low-income families on a weekly basis. The books are selected by a panel of literacy experts for their age-appropriate language and concepts, engaging artwork, and multicultural themes. We provide books in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Before beginning the book bag rotation, early childhood professionals are trained in interactive "read-aloud" techniques that stimulate early brain development and language acquisition. These professionals in turn train low-income parents, giving them the tools to engage in the shared book experience regardless of literacy level or home language. RAR supports this capacity building through our high-touch model of training, resources, and regular site-based Read Aloud visits to model successful techniques and work directly with the providers and children on program implementation.
Once the red book bag rotation is underway and a family book-sharing routine has been established, RAR, in partnership with the local library, issues a special Blue Library bag to each child. While the children return the red book bags and books weekly to the child care sites, the Blue Library bags are theirs to keep and use as they build a lifetime connection to the library. We support sites to provide family literacy celebrations during "Blue Bag Days."