There is absolutely no cost (ever) to registered children in participating areas!
The Program is free to participating families and it is made possible through the partnership with local Community Action Teams (CATs). Funding for the program is organized through private donations, corporate sponsorships and grants. We welcome any interested parties to contact us so that we may work together to bring the Ferst Readers Program to every Georgia child 0-5 years old. As partners, we can help prepare every Georgia child for success in school and in life.
Learn More
Conversations Count
Building a Foundation for Reading
To strengthen our parent engagement focus, Ferst Readers has developed a workshop for families with children birth to three years old. Click here to register online to obtain all the program materials for FREE! This program is perfect for educators, child care centers, and community partners who want to help parents become better communicators with their children which will help their children develop strong language skills.
There are three components to this program - each focuses on a critical aspect to language development:
Respond to Me Talk with Me Read with Me
There are two parts to this literacy program: the Program Guide and the PowerPoint Presentation. Both are available to download once you complete the online registration. Click here for this step-by-step guide to teaching parents how to help prepare their children for school.
There are several ways to present this workshop to parents:
- Three, one-hour separate face-to-face sessions.
- One, hour and a half face-to-face session (All-In-One).
- A one-hour virtual session.
- Small Talk sessions (think Public Service Announcements) where you give parents snippets of a concept (5-10 minutes max).
A binder with all the information printed out can be purchased for $50/plus shipping. If you would like a binder, please request one at .
Program Evaluation: Once you have used the materials, please let us know what you think! Click here for the Program Evaluation Form.
This Family Literacy Initiative was created in partnership with Ferst Readers, Morgan County Schools Early Learning and the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy.
Ferst Readers' mission is to strengthen communities by providing quality books and literacy resources for children and their families to use at home during the earliest stages of development. If you have a passion for children to become strong readers and future leaders, then you would make an excellent addition to our team! We are currently in ten states and over 120 communities, mailing 50,000 books and parent newsletters monthly.
Please submit your resume to . For questions, please call 888-565-0177.
There are no job openings at this time.
After years of watching our Ferst Readers program grow, we have seen overall school test scores positively impacted when a county has greater than 50% of its children enrolled in the program and has been operating 5 years or more. We have also seen from recent studies, that Ferst Readers contributes to "leveling" the playing field for children who, without the benefit of this program, might otherwise enter school up to two years behind their peers.
A 2015 School Readiness Survey of 90 pre-k/kindergarten teachers and 800 Ferst Readers participants found:
- Ferst Readers program participation helps develop the skills children need to be successful in school.
- Ferst Readers children demonstrate better reading behaviors, are much more actively engaged during story time, and are better listeners.
- Ferst Readers parents are more engaged across the board in their children’s academic progress than non-Ferst Readers parents.
A 2015 Program Effectiveness Evaluation gauging the kindergarten GKIDS assessment scores of Ferst Readers program graduates indicated:
- Ferst Readers participants perform at a higher percentage (meet or exceed standards) than non-Ferst Readers children;
- Ferst Readers program contributes to "leveling" the playing field for children who, because of socioeconomic factors, would likely enter school up to two years behind their peers.
We know Ferst Readers is making a difference in the lives of children, one book at a time, not only from the data but from parents themselves, who tell us every day how much they value their children being part of the Ferst Readers program. And of course, the entire community benefits when even one more child comes to school prepared to learn.
LINKS:
2015 Ferst Readers School Readiness Survey (PDF)
2015 Ferst Readers Program Effectiveness Evaluation (PDF)
Texas Registration 
