Mission

Strengthening communities by providing quality books and literacy resources for children and their families to use at home during the earliest stages of development.

What We Do

Founded in 1999, Ferst Readers addresses the critical issue of children from low-income communities entering kindergarten without basic early literacy skills and school readiness. Our recipe for encouraging early literacy development is to ensure that children have age-appropriate books in their home and that parents have access to useful resources they need to be effective as their child's "first teacher."

Children, birth to five, registered in the Ferst Readers program receive a quality, age-appropriate book every month mailed to them at home. Each book is accompanied by a newsletter with a reading guide for the parent and a story-related activity for the child. It also contains essential information underscoring the importance of developing early literacy skills in the home and encourages parents to read frequently with their children.