What is Read to Grow?

We Need Your Books! Read to Grow is experiencing a dramatic increase in book requests from Connecticut families, especially for children under two years old, and you can help. Come to RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison on Friday, June 26 and drop off your gently used children’s books to benefit Read to Grow's program and children across the state. Donate five or more books and receive a coupon for 20% off any book in the store. The collection will be going on from 10 am until 5 pm. There will be a special author’s event at 4pm at the bookstore when Children’s Poet laureate Mary Ann Hoberman presents her debut novel, Strawberry Hill. We especially need books for newborns through age 3. This is a perfect time to "recycle" the gently used books your children have enjoyed but outgrown by donating them to Read to Grow and giving them d new homes with youngsters who have limited access to books. By passing along your children's books, you can help change lives. For more info, call us at 203-488-6800.

Over the years many of Read to Grow's patrons and major funders have expressed a keen interest in understanding child development issues that affect literacy. Recently we opened this dialogue with our patrons at a luncheon at the New Haven Lawn Club. Dr. Walter Gilliam, child psychologist and director of the Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy, was guest speaker and shared his views on language development and school readiness.

Read to Grow has received a $15,000 grant from The Citizens Bank Foundation for the Books for Babies program at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London. Citizens Bank has been supporting Books for Babies at L&M since 2001 when the program began at the hospital.