Read Aloud Program
Our Read Aloud Program promotes early literacy and learning for San Francisco Bay Area children aged 0-5. Although we’re located in one of the wealthiest regions in the world, too many of our children face significant barriers to literacy success—barriers such as homelessness, food insecurity, and lack of financial resources—and enter school significantly less prepared to learn to read than their peers.
Since 1998, the Read Aloud Program has worked to address this need by collaborating with local service providers, early childhood educators, nurse home visitors, community health workers, and parenting coaches to support parents in reading aloud to their very young children. Our Read Aloud Program bolsters children’s literacy development through age-appropriate books, skill-building, and best practices during a critical stage of brain development.
We offer a series of free workshops for Bay Area service providers who want to integrate more early literacy development skills and tools into their work with families with young children. Our workshops include curriculum, peer networking, presentations by local experts, and free access to dozens of new, culturally relevant books to support children aged 5 and younger. Families that receive free books from us often report that these are the first books that their children—or household—have ever owned.
How to get involved
We can offer this program thanks to the active involvement of community partners, book distributors, and donors. There are a number of ways to get involved:
- Family-serving organizations: Become a member of the Read Aloud Program to access our free curriculum, peer networking, and curated books for the families you serve. Eligible members represent Bay Area organizations and work directly with families of children 0-5 from marginalized and/or at-risk communities.
- Early childhood development experts: Volunteer to present at an upcoming workshop to promote your knowledge and resources among service providers who work with hundreds of families around the Bay Area.
- Book publishers and distributors: Donate free or discounted, age-appropriate books to our program and receive acknowledgment on our website and social media.
- Donors: Consider giving a grant or donation to keep this program going!
Please contact the Read Aloud Program for more information.