Raising Readers

Raising Readers is a statewide early-intervention program that promotes literacy and school readiness among Maine children. The initiative provides books to newborns through Maine hospitals, birth centers, midwives, and adoption agencies. Raising Readers supplies additional books to family practices and pediatricians for distribution to children ages two months to five years during well-child visits. Healthcare providers are also encouraged to discuss with families the importance of reading.

This initiative is a collaboration between the two largest healthcare delivery systems in Maine, MaineHealth and EMHS, and receives funding from the Libra Foundation. All hospitals with birth services and almost all Maine doctors who see patients under age five participate in Raising Readers.

To foster a love of reading, improve literacy among babies and young children, and ultimately, improve the health and educational outcomes of Maine children.

Since 2000, Raising Readers has distributed more than 1.7 million books to more than 190,000 children in Maine. The initiative now includes 29 hospitals, 329 health centers, and six birthing centers in Maine. In a 2011 survey of medical contacts, 69% reported the program influenced parents to read aloud to their children more often, 58% used the program's books as part of participatory guidance, 42% used the books to model reading behavior, and 51% reported increasing how often they counseled families about reading since joining the program.