When We Work Together, Children Thrive
Last month, I had the joy of standing on the Central Elementary School campus in San Diego—the very place where Raising a Reader first launched our partnership with the Masons of California 15 years ago—and celebrating something remarkable: together, we’ve reached more than 1,000 classrooms across California through this partnership.
From the start, the Masons of California have believed in the power of reading together to transform lives. Since 1999, they have invested more than $4.7 million to bring Raising a Reader’s proven family engagement and early literacy programs into classrooms across California. Their support has put thousands of high-quality, specially curated books directly into the hands of children and families—helping them build daily reading routines that strengthen connection, confidence, and school readiness.
What began in one San Diego classroom has grown into a statewide movement, reaching 1,035 classrooms across 235 schools in 57 districts and an estimated 100,000 children and families. Together, we’ve helped build bridges between home and school, ensuring that families read, learn, and grow together.
Through our partnership with the Masons, we’ve also had the opportunity to innovate and respond to the needs of diverse communities. The Mason’s inspired our launch of the Classic Red Book Bag Program for school age children. This expanded our reach to serve older children and allowed us to continue supporting family reading routines well into the elementary years.
In 2024, we curated a Farsi collection to mee the needs of a large Farsi-speaking community in West Sacramento, ensuring that families can enjoy bilingual, culturally relevant stories that reflect and celebrate their experiences.
And our collaboration continues to spark new ways for families to learn together. Raising a Reader is proud to be part of the California Family Math Initiate, a statewide pilot designed to engage families of TK-2nd graders in math learning at home and school. In partnership with the National Center for Family Math and PowerMyLearning, we supporting “math talk” and everyday math in homes and classrooms.
The Masons have been visionary, lead investors in this work. Their strategic investment in Raising a Reader’s Super Summer Learning Adventures helped deliver more than 65,000 books to homes across 13 states and attracted support from organizations like Adobe, First 5 California, and the California Community Foundation. Their ongoing partnership continues to serve as a blueprint for new funders, driving additional investments from the Ballmer Group, PNC Bank, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
“The students, teachers, and families at Washington have really been enjoying the Raising a Reader program,” shared Alicia Weyeneth, Principal at Washington Elementary School in Compton Unified School District. “The students come excited to school with their books and ready to share the stories they read with their classmates. We are very appreciative of this grant to help support the school-to-home connection and encourage students to become lifelong learners.”
When we work together, children truly thrive. And this milestone—more than 1,000 classrooms reached in California—represents just one powerful chapter in Raising a Reader’s broader national story. Across the country, we partner with more than 3,000 sites in 36 states, reaching almost 2 million children and their families over the past 26 years through our evidence-based family engagement and early literacy programs. Together with partners like the Masons of California, we’re ensuring that every child, everywhere, can experience the joy and connection of reading together.