Our Mission
Our mission is to improve early literacy for all Connecticut children by providing books, by helping families share books with their babies starting at birth, by encouraging language development, and by promoting an awareness of literacy services.
Who We Are
Read to Grow is unique. While many early literacy programs start when a child is six months old or older, Read to Grow meets families in the hospital when a baby is born, linking health to the importance of early literacy, language and love. We serve all newborns, providing a new children’s book and literacy guidance to all families regardless of income. Infant brain research shows that learning begins at birth, and Read to Grow works to ensure that parents understand their important role as their child’s first teacher, as well as the critical relationship between verbal stimulation, language development and future literacy. Our message is that by reading with and talking to children beginning at birth, parents can help their youngsters grow to love books and learning, and develop the vocabulary, language and early literacy skills they will need to succeed at school, in the workplace and in life. Read to Grow currently has Books for Babies programs in seven Connecticut hospitals and reaches about 40% of the state’s newborns.
Literacy studies have demonstrated that one of the easiest, most effective ways to help children develop language skills and an interest in reading is by making sure they have books of their own. Read to Grow provides books to youngsters who otherwise might not have them. We distribute about 1,300 new and gently used books each week to children from birth through school age, both directly to families who contact us and through a myriad of partnerships with community health, social service, educational and literacy organizations.
Read to Grow is primarily donor supported with donations from individuals, corporations and foundations, and we rely on the dedication and energy of adult and youth volunteers to assist our small, mostly part-time staff in operating our programs.
Our Vision
The Board of Directors and staff members of Read to Grow share the following vision:
Every child in the state of Connecticut will own books and take an active interest in reading.
Our Core Values
Read to Grow relies on the following core values to guide its efforts:
Children are born with the ability to learn and the skills to embrace language.
Parents are their child’s first and most important teacher.
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