Founded in 2000, and now the largest health and literacy program ever undertaken in any state, Raising Readers has remained true to its mission. Every child aged birth to five who receives well-child care in Maine is given at least a dozen hardcover books and grows up being read to from birth. Through engaging stories and encouraging early literacy practices in children’s homes, we hope Raising Readers has contributed to those children's' bright futures as citizens of Maine.
Raising Readers serves families and children in all of Maine’s 16 counties thanks to the generous funding from the Libra Foundation and a longstanding collaboration between the state’s two largest health systems, MaineHealth and EMHS, and the 350 hospitals and medical practices that participate in the program. In its 15th year, Raising Readers has reached over 230,000 children and has distributed more than 2.28 million books.