Read To Grow Inc

TO PROMOTE LANGUAGE SKILLS AND LITERACY FOR CHILDREN, BEGINNING AT BIRTH, AND TO SUPPORT PARENTS AS THEIR BABIES' FIRST TEACHERS.

READ TO GROW OPERATES THROUGHOUT CONNECTICUT AND HAS GIVEN MORE THAN 2.3 MILLION CHILDREN'S BOOKS IN ITS 22 YEARS OF EDUCATING PARENTS AND CHILDCARE PROVIDERS - THROUGH WORKSHOPS AND LITERACY PACKETS - ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPING CHILDREN'S LANGUAGE SKILLS AND LITERACY. EACH YEAR THE ORGANIZATION DISTRIBUTES APPROXIMATELY 130,000 BOOKS THROUGH THREE PROGRAMS: THE FLAGSHIP PROGRAM BOOKS FOR BABIES, THE BOOKS FOR KIDS PROGRAM, AND THE RECENTLY ESTABLISHED EARLY STEPS TO SCHOOL SUCCESS PROGRAM. ALONG WITH STAFF, THE ORGANIZATION RELIES ON A CORPS OF REGULAR VOLUNTEERS WHO WORK IN THE OFFICE/WAREHOUSE AND VISIT FAMILIES AT PARTNER HOSPITALS.BOOKS FOR BABIES THIS PROGRAM OPERATES THREE DISTINCT PROJECTS: PRENATAL PROJECT, THE NEWBORN PROJECT AND THE NEW NICU PROJECT. THE PRENATAL PROJECT FOCUSES ON DISTRIBUTING FREE CHILDREN'S BOOKS AND INFORMATION ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND LITERACY TO EXPECTING FAMILIES RECEIVING PRENATAL CARE AT COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS. THE NEWBORN PROJECT OPERATES IN 13 PARTNER HOSPITALS, GIVING ALL FAMILIES WITH NEWBORNS LITERACY PACKETS THAT INCLUDE BOOKS FOR THEIR BABIES AND PARENTAL GUIDES ON HOW TO SUPPORT INFANTS' LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT. TRAINED VOLUNTEERS VISIT THE FAMILIES TO TALK ABOUT BABY BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT AND TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. ABOUT 60% OF CONNECTICUT'S FAMILIES WITH NEWBORNS ARE REACHED THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, WHICH ALSO OFFERS A FREE OPT-IN FOLLOW-UP PROGRAM WITH MORE BOOKS AND INFORMATION SENT TO ENROLLED FAMILIES AT THEIR CHILD'S 3 MONTH AND 1-YEAR MILESTONES. IN SPRING 2020, THE ORGANIZATION LAUNCHED A PARTNERSHIP WITH CONNECTICUT CHILDREN'S NICU TO PROVIDE CHILDREN'S BOOKS FOR PARENTS TO READ TO THEIR BABIES ADMITTED TO THE NICU AND IN SPRING 2021, FOLLOWING A SUCCESSFUL PILOT YEAR WITH CONNECTICUT CHILDREN'S NICU, THE ORGANIZATION'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICIALLY APPROVED THE NICU PROJECT TO EXPAND TO OTHER SITES AS FUNDING AND PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES WILL ALLOW. IN WINTER 2022, READ TO GROW LAUNCHED THE NICU PROJECT AT CONNECTICUT CHILDREN'S FARMINGTON LOCATION.BOOKS FOR KIDS IN ADDITION TO THE FOCUS ON PRENATAL AND NEWBORN FAMILIES, THE ORGANIZATION GIVES MORE THAN 140,000 BOOKS ANNUALLY TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES ACROSS CONNECTICUT THROUGH FORMAL COLLABORATIONS WITH OTHER NONPROFITS ALREADY SERVING LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS. MANY OF THE PARTNERSHIPS CALL FOR DELIVERY OF THOUSANDS OF BOOKS EACH YEAR AND WORKSHOPS FOR FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN. MANY OF THE CLIENTELE ARE BILINGUAL SPANISH-ENGLISH OR MONOLINGUAL SPANISH. ADDITIONALLY, THE ORGANIZATION CURRENTLY MAINTAINS 34 BOOK PLACES AROUND THE STATE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS; FAMILIES ARE ABLE TO COME AND SELECT BOOKS TO TAKE HOME FOR THEIR HOME LIBRARY. FINALLY, IN RESPONSE TO REQUESTS, BOOKS FOR KIDS ALSO GIVES FREE CHILDREN'S BOOKS TO HUNDREDS OF TEACHER, DOCTORS' OFFICES, OTHER HEALTHCARE AND CHILDCARE PROVIDERS, AND OTHER NONPROFITS, INCLUDING OTHER LITERACY-FOCUSED AGENCIES AND MAILS BOOKS HOME TO FAMILIES WHO REQUEST BOOKS ONLINE.EARLY STEPS TO SCHOOL SUCCESS ("ESSS") IN EARLY 2019, THE ORGANIZATION LAUNCHED A THIRD PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SAVE THE CHILDREN FOR YOUNG CHILDREN LIVING IN POVERTY IN NEW HAVEN. ESSS IS A LITERACY-PROMOTING PROGRAM DESIGNED BY SAVE THE CHILDREN FOR CHILDREN PRE-BIRTH TO AGE 5. ESSS AIMS TO PREPARE CHILDREN FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS THROUGH HOME VISITS, PARENT-CHILD PLAYGROUPS, AND SCHOOL-BASED BOOK EXCHANGES AND DISTRIBUTIONS. IN 2020, ESS EXPANDED TO 4 SCHOOLS IN NEW HAVEN AND IN 2021 LAUNCHED AT 2 SCHOOLS IN BRIDGEPORT. COORDINATORS FOR THE PROGRAM SERVE OVER 200 FAMILIES.MANAGING SPONSOR - IN WINTER 2019, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY AND RJ JULIA BOOKSELLERS, THE ORGANIZATION LAUNCHED THE BRIDGEPORT BOOK FESTIVAL AS THE MANAGING SPONSOR. THE FIRST LIVE EVENT FOR THE BRIDGEPORT BOOK FESTIVAL WAS SCHEDULED TO OCCUR IN MAY 2020 BUT WAS PUT ON HOLD DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC ("COVID-19"). IN THE MEANTIME, PARTNERS WERE ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE THOUSANDS OF BRAND-NEW BOOKS TO CHILDREN IN KINDERGARTEN-8TH GRADE AT MEAL DISTRIBUTION SITES AROUND THE CITY IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19. THE FESTIVAL COMMITTEE HOPES TO REIGNITE ENERGY AROUND THE BOOK FESTIVAL AND OFFICIALLY LAUNCH IN THE COMING YEAR.PUBLICATIONS THE ORGANIZATION SELF-PUBLISHED A BOOK, WELCOME TO THE WORLD!, IN 2012 AND CONTINUES TO PURCHASE AND DISTRIBUTE COPIES IN THE LITERACY PACKETS DISTRIBUTED IN THE HOSPITALS THROUGH THE BOOKS FOR BABIES PROGRAM. THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN EXPRESSLY FOR THE ORGANIZATION BY NANCY ELIZABETH WALLACE AND WAS ILLUSTRATED BY MARSELA HAJADINIJAK-KREC OF CROATIA. WELCOME TO THE WORLD! OFFERS SIMPLE MESSAGES OF CELEBRATING FAMILIES AND BABIES: LEARNING STARTS AT BIRTH; THE PARENT IS THE CHILD'S FIRST TEACHER; AND READING, SINGING, PLAYING, AND BONDING WITH BABY IS HELPFUL TO THEIR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENTT.THE ORGANIZATION PUBLISHED A NEW BOARD BOOK IN JUNE 2021, HELLO SOMETIMES, FOR THE BIRTH 5 AGE GROUP. HELLO SOMETIMES, WRITTEN BY AMY VATNER AND ILLUSTRATED BY GABRIELLA SVENNINGSEN, HELPS CAREGIVERS AND FAMILIES PROCESS THE ONGOING CHALLENGES OF THE PANDEMIC WITH YOUNG CHILDREN. THE BOOK FEATURES SIMPLE RHYMES, DYNAMIC WATERCOLOR ILLUSTRATIONS, AND A DIVERSE ARRAY OF CHARACTERS. THANKS TO THE INCREDIBLE GENEROSITY OF SPONSORS AND DONORS, THE ORGANIZATION IS ABLE TO PROVIDE OVER 20,000 COPIES OF HELLO SOMETIMES FREE OF CHARGE TO CHILDREN AGES BIRTH 5 ENROLLED IN THE PARTNER CHILDCARE AND PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS ACROSS CONNECTICUT IN THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2022. ADDITIONALLY, SUPPORTERS MAY PURCHASE COPIES OF THE BOOK THROUGH THE ORGANIZATION'S WEBSITE.IMPACT OF COVID-19 - SINCE MARCH 2020, THE ORGANIZATION HAS CONTINUED TO GET BOOKS OUT TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AND HAS PIVOTED SOME OF THE DISTRIBUTION METHODS TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF FAMILIES AND THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE COMMUNITY. THE STAFF WORKED WITH A DRAMATICALLY REDUCED CORPS OF IN-PERSON VOLUNTEERS. BOOKS FOR BABIES PILOTED A VARIETY OF VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING WITH VARIOUS SITES AND HOSPITAL STAFF WERE TRAINED TO DELIVER THE READ TO GROW MESSAGE IN LIEU OF THE IN-PERSON VOLUNTEERS. THE ORGANIZATION SAW A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN ONLINE FAMILY BOOK REQUESTS AND A REDUCTION IN THE AMOUNT OF BOOKS GOING TO BOOK PLACES AS MANY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE PIVOTED THEIR SERVICE.