REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 6, 2017 – Raising A Reader, a national nonprofit organization that provides resources and guidance for families to implement home-based literacy routines, has launched one of the most aggressive literacy campaigns in recent U.S. history. The nonprofit has committed to reaching 3 million children across the country with its literacy program by 2020. Raising A Reader has hired seasoned Washington, D.C. nonprofit executive Gloria M. Garcia to drive efforts to fund the program’s expansion.
“We are taking an extraordinary stance on the need to expand our reach in all 50 states in order to significantly raise the literacy bar across the entire country,” said Gabrielle Miller, Ed.D., president and CEO of Raising A Reader. “Research conclusively shows children who are not reading at the appropriate level by third grade have a much harder time throughout the rest of their academic career and this negatively impacts their success later in life.”
The Raising A Reader program is evidence-based, with more than 32 independent evaluations showing that Raising A Reader significantly improves language and literacy skills, cognitive development, communication and comprehension skills, school readiness and social competence. The program is implemented through a network of community partners that comprise more than 2,700 locations across the country including public school systems, libraries, afterschool programs, community agencies and other organizations both public and private.
Garcia will serve as vice president of strategic partnerships and brand, responsible for all fundraising revenue including foundations, corporations and individuals as well as brand awareness and marketing communication initiatives.
“Raising A Reader is having a lasting impact on future generations of Americans, especially those growing up in underserved communities across the nation,” said Garcia. “Literacy is a competitive advantage the nation cannot afford to lose.”
Garcia has more than 25 years of strategic business development, brand positioning and executive management experience both in the United States and abroad having worked at the World Bank and managed the U.S. cotton industry’s marketing, public relations and trade relations in Latin America. Most recently at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the premier Latino leadership development organization in the country, Garcia reengineered the organization’s brand strategy and contributed to its dramatic revenue growth and program expansion.
Raising A Reader is a 501c3 charitable organization dedicated to helping families develop, practice and maintain literacy habits for children ages 0-8 that are critical for a child’s success in school and in life. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, Raising A Reader was founded in 1999 and has served more than 1.5 million children nationwide. More information is available at RaisingAReader.org, @RARnational (Twitter) and RaisingAReaderNational (Facebook).