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“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” - Frederick Douglass

Celebrating Indigenous People's Day As we celebrate Indigenous People’s Day this week, don’t miss some good books written about and by Native Americans for children ages 3-5 including Fry Bread and Thunder Boy Jr.

Check out our updated family literacy calendar!

Don't forget our Family Resources Page is a great tool to access our program resources at any time. You can find that page here. Massachusetts is known for its beautiful fall colors in October. Enjoy the changing season with your child by taking a walk outside and naming the colors and types of leaves, or sharing books like Leaves by David Ezra Stein and Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak. Visit Our Family Literacy Calendar

What can we learn from the most recent MCAS results?

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, "By fourth grade, children are expected to use reading to learn other subjects. For this reason, kids who reach fourth grade without being able to read proficiently are more likely to struggle academically and eventually drop out of school." In 2021, within RAR-MA’s partner cities, most third graders (from 55% to 85%) did not meet state expectations for proficiency in reading, with Holyoke representing the highest percentages. These scores can be reviewed at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website here. Standardized tests were not administered in 2020 due to challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. The latest scores represent a decline – in every single RAR-MA community – from 2019 proficiency levels, further exposing the inequities of the literacy opportunity gap. As mentioned in a recent Boston Globe article by James Vaznis, "One of the starkest achievement gaps in Massachusetts was seen on the Grade 3 English/Language Arts exam..." He further notes that those scores demonstrated a 6% drop from 2019 for Black students and a 10% drop for Latino students. These results highlight the ongoing importance of working towards eliminating the literacy opportunity gap by empowering and equipping parents and caregivers to be their child's first teacher.

Boston Children’s Collaboration for Community Health

We are so grateful and proud to announce that we have been selected as a funded partner through Boston Children’s Collaboration for Community Health! We are excited about this opportunity and working with Boston Children’s to improve the health and well-being of children and families. “Boston Children’s is dedicated to using its resources and expertise to improve child health outcomes,” says Kevin B. Churchwell, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boston Children’s Hospital. “Through the Collaboration for Community Health, we are able to deepen our commitment and support community organizations in their efforts to address the social determinants of health and advance community health.” Thank you so much to Boston Children's Collaboration for Community Health for this generous support! Look for updates on these efforts throughout the year.

Events

Rodman Ride for Kids Thank you to our 27 road riders, virtual riders, and everyone who supported us for another successful Rodman Ride on September 25th! A special shout out to our Emerging Leaders Board including Emily Leinbach (co-chair) and Sarah Canavan (co-chair), George Xu and Parker Greiwe, as well as Mikaela and Kiley, friends of Raising A Reader MA, for being part of race day! As Emily shared, "The 25-mile bike ride was no joke!! " We are so close to meeting our fundraising goal of $20,000. If you'd like to help us reach our remaining goal, please follow the link below to donate. Thank you so much for the continued support! Donate

Virtual Read Along La Familia Rocha Join us on our YouTube channel to learn about this beginner Spanish series. The author Edward Lee Rocha will read the first two books in the series, and you'll get to learn about María Guadalupe and Redolfo Orosco. Visit the Read Along

Job Opportunities

Director of Development This person will be a key member of our Executive Team and will lead development activities for the organization. Development & Communications Manager This person will be a key member of our Development Team, supporting the Director of Development in development and communications efforts. For details about these roles, please find the full description here. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to careers@raisingareaderma.org.

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A United Way Partner Agency