Healthcare Provider Resources
Raising Readers is ending in March 2024. Here is an FAQ with important information.
The Raising Readers Model
As a healthcare provider, you play a key role in helping Raising Readers fulfill its vision each time you share books and messages about the importance of literacy with Maine families. Each time you give a child a book, you show parents and caregivers that regularly reading aloud to children is important for brain development and overall health and wellbeing. Each time you talk about why reading aloud is important, you help parents and caregivers understand how a little time and one simple tool—a book!—helps children build strong reading skills.
Raising Readers is the only statewide early literacy program in the healthcare home. We are proud that Raising Readers reaches every child in Maine. The program is introduced the day a baby is born. The family is gifted a tote of books from their birthing team to start their home libraries. At every well-child visit from 2 months to age 5, healthcare providers (doctors, nurse practitioners, and other clinical staff) will give another brand-new, developmentally appropriate book. By the time the child starts school, they will have their very own library of books at home.
How the Raising Readers model benefits providers and patients
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians have released policy statements about the importance of early literacy promotion in the primary care setting. Promoting emergent literacy through programs like Raising Readers engages parents and caregivers and prepares children to achieve their potential in school and beyond.
- Read the AAP’s policy statement, Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice.
- Read the AAFP’s Early Literacy Policy, Promoting Early Literacy Development.
Become a Raising Readers Site
Thanks to the generous funding from the Libra Foundation, there is no cost to hospitals, midwives, practices or families to participate in Raising Readers.
Eligibility
All Maine hospitals that provide birthing services, midwives who attend home and birth center births and adoption agencies can participate in the Raising Readers program. Primary care providers who provide well-child care to children from 2 months to age 5 within the state of Maine can also participate.
Enroll your office
If your eligible office is not enrolled, download an application or call us at 1-800-397-3263.
Birth Center Site Application (PDF)
Health Center Site Application (PDF)
Order books and report what books you’ve given away
Need help ordering books? To set up your online account, give us a call at 1-800-397-3263 or email us at info@raisingreaders.org. We’ll set up your username and password and show you how to order online.
Book List and Log for Health Centers
- February 2024 Book List and Log: Acrobat (pdf) | MS Word (doc)
- January 2024 Book List and Log: Acrobat (pdf) | MS Word (doc)
Site Update
Spring Site Update – Site Coordinator Edition
New Program Materials
Raising Readers Website
2022 Annual Report
Spring Site Update: Provider Edition
Partnership Impact
Research Corner
2022 Annual Report
Studies, Publications, and Articles of Interest
Evidence-Informed Milestones for Developmental Surveillance Tools
Explains why and how the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) revised its developmental surveillance checklists.
Longitudinal Associations Between Screen Use and Reading in Preschool-Aged Children
Explores whether screen use impacts enrichment activities (like reading aloud) and whether reading offsets the effects of screen use.
From Clinic to Kindergarten: A Path Toward Equity in School Readiness
Highlights Szumlas et al. study which reinforces the critical role health and literacy programs play in creating equity in school readiness through book giving.
Establishing Early Literacy Habits in a Profit-Driven Digital World
Raising Readers’ Impact Study—Full Report
Dr. Hutton’s Page from Read Aloud 15 Minutes
Other Book Resources
Studies show the importance of having books in the home. You may find these resources helpful when guiding families to even more books.
A go-to resource for parents who are looking for picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) children, families, and subjects. This project is based in Maine.
This resource highlights books for children and teens featuring immigrant and 1st-2nd generation American families. Parents can discover books set in particular communities and across multicultural themes. This project is based in Maine.
Language Lizard offers bilingual books, multicultural books and dual language audio books for kids and English language learners (ELL) of all ages.
This small company provides subscription book boxes to families that feature books with racially and ethnically diverse, LQBTQ+, and feminist characters and families, among other currently under-represented identities in children’s books. This project is based in Maine.
Star Bright Books produces high quality books for children that include children of all colors, nationalities, ethnicities, and abilities, in 33 languages.
WNDB, an organization that strives to create a world in which all children can see themselves in the pages of a book, offers a resource list of over 60 websites and organizations that share books set in marginalized communities.
MaineHealth’s Adverse Childhood Experiences Prevention
MaineHealth and community partners are working together to reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences on children in the communities we serve.