FY 16 Annual Story Behind: Goal in FY 16 was to expand the Raise a Reader program down to Head Start and Family Support Center. The LMB and Early Childhood Coordinator worked with vendor staff toward implementation. Staff was eager to implement program, however we hit a stumbling block once contract was sent to administration for signature. The Board of Education received federal funds to expand pre-k services, thus children that attended Head Start now had the opportunity to attend all day pre-k. The vendor's perception was that the BOE was "stealing their children". LMB staff met with vendor administration on numerous occasions to discuss the program and its value unfortunately they were unwilling to implement the Raise a Reader program.

The LMB was successful in getting a contract for the implementation of Learning Parties in place for the Family Support Center. LMB will continue to work with other community partners in hopes of bridging the gap. As indicated in the KRA data our Head Start children are performing poorly and could benefit from additional supports. We are committed to developing this relationship to assist the vendor and more importantly providing additional resources for our lowest performing children.

Program to engage caregivers in a routine of book sharing with children from birth through age eight to foster healthy brain development, healthy relationships, a love of reading and the literacy skills critical for school success.

Non title 1 pre-k students and head start students and families.