Dillon County First Steps (DCFS) is partnering with a literacy foundation to initiate the Raising A Reader (RAR) Program at Hamer Canaan Head Start. Raising A Reader will serve 50 children through this pilot program.
Raising A Reader is an evidence-based family engagement and early literacy program for children ages 0-8 that helps families develop, practice, and maintain home-based literacy routines necessary for school success.
The program promotes and fosters healthy brain development, parent-child bonding and develops the early language and literacy skills that are critical for academic and life success by engaging parents in a routing of “book cuddling” with their children. The goal of RAR is to substantially increase the number of families that share picture books and stories with their children frequently and routinely each week.
Red book bags that contain four age appropriate books will go home with students on Monday and will be returned on Friday.
The red book bags will be rotated weekly. At the end of the program year, each student participating in the program will visit the local library and receive a blue library book bag to keep as each student begins their own library adventure.
Sharon Temoney-Davis said, “Hamer Canaan Head Start is setting the foundation for students to read to achieve. Students and teachers are excited about implementing RAR at Hamer Canaan Head Start.”
The initial cost of RAR is about $110 per child including materials and training.
It is our goal to expand annually the number of children we serve in RAR.
If you are interested in sponsoring a child through RAR, please contact our office. Monetary donations can be mailed to the address below.
For more information contact: Dillon County First Steps, Gordon Elementary School, 926 Perry Ave., P. O. Box 295, Dillon, SC 29536, Phone: 843-774-0061.