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Read and Grow with Me! (RGM)

Category

Family Support, Literacy

Child's Age

0-1 years, 1-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-4 years, 4-5 years

Participant

Children, Parents/Guardian

Languages

English, Spanish, Other

Brief Description

Read and Grow with Me! (RGM) is a two-generational family literacy initiative by Reading Connections, designed to support families with children ages 0–5. It integrates adult English literacy education, early childhood development and parent-child engagement through culturally diverse books. RGM is grounded in the belief that parents are their children’s first teachers and aims to foster strong literacy habits and emotional bonds.

Expected Impact

  • Increase in frequency of daily shared reading between parents and children 
  • Increase in parents’ literacy 
  • Improvements in children’s language and literacy development 

Core Components for Model Fidelity

  • Intake: At enrollment, parents/caregivers complete intake paperwork, pre-program surveys, and pre-assessments (CASAS or TABE; ASQ-3; and PPVT or EVT).  
  • Parent Education: Parents are placed into English classes with peers at similar proficiency levels, based on pre-assessment scores. Classes are typically divided into Beginner English, Intermediate English, and Advanced English. 
  • Early Childhood Education: Children ages 0-5 are placed in either the Infant/Toddler or Preschool class, depending on their age and developmental stage. 
  • Weekly Sessions: Each session follows a 30-60-90 outline, consisting of 30 minutes of shared mealtime, 60 minutes of Parent and Child Together (PACT) time (guided literacy activities), and 90 minutes of concurrent, separate learning experiences. 
    • Week 1: Orientation, intake paperwork, and pre-tests 
    • Week 2: Pre-tests and “Get to Know You” lesson 
    • Weeks 3-12: Each week, families receive one children’s book that reflects a variety of cultures for a total of 10 books to add to their home library. Weekly lessons and PACT Time are built around the featured book of the week. 
    • Week 13: Test preparation 
    • Week 14: Test preparation and post-tests 
    • Week 15: Post-tests, exit paperwork, and celebration  
  • Parent Packets: Each children’s book is paired with a Parent Packet containing activities and discussion prompts for use at home. These materials are designed to foster bonding, support learning, and encourage meaningful conversations between parents and children. During class, parents engage in facilitated discussions on how to use the packets effectively. Topics include:  
    • The Basics: Five techniques to promote bonding and early brain development. 
    • ABCs of Active Reading: Three ways to make story time more interactive.  
    • CASEL: Five social-emotional skills children can develop with parental guidance. 
    • Help Now: Ten calming strategies children can use when overwhelmed.  
    • School Readiness: Activities to prepare children for kindergarten. 
  • Test Prep and Exit: In the final weeks of adult instruction, participants prepare for the post-assessment. Focus areas are selected from the assessment’s competencies and are based on parents’ goals identified at enrollment and learning gaps identified throughout the course. Parents and children complete post-assessments to measure progress. Adults also complete final paperwork and post-program surveys. Both adults and children receive certificates of completion and adults receive an incentive to recognize their dedication to completing the program. 

Languages Materials are Available in

English, Spanish, Other*

*Contact purveyor about additional available languages.

Delivery Mode

In person group sessions. 

Dosage

Groups meet twice a week for 15 consecutive weeks with each session lasting 3 hours (6 hours per week). Additional weeks or makeup sessions may be offered based on the needs of families participating (holidays, sick days, etc.). 

Infrastructure for Implementation

Materials: Families need access to basic classroom supplies (writing utensils, paper, etc.). Families receive a children’s book each week during weeks 3-12 for a total of 10 books to add to their home library. 

Space: Must have physical meeting space with room for shared meals and concurrent, separate parent-child sessions. 

Other: Participants receive a free meal each week. At completion, families who meet participation criteria receive an incentive valued at up to $100 (such as a check or gift card). 

Staffing Requirements

Each instructor of the Infant/Toddler or Preschool groups must meet the required education, credentials, and experience as outlined by state regulations. At minimum, the instructor must have an NC Early Childhood Credential or equivalent. It is preferred that instructors hold a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a related field. 

To ensure child safety, all facilitators must pass an initial criminal background check and undergo re-screening at least every three years. Additionally, all facilitators are required to maintain current certification in basic first aid and CPR. 

Instructors of the adult groups must have a bachelor’s degree in teaching English as a second language (TESOL) or a related field. If they do not have a degree in TESOL, they must have a certificate in TESOL or teaching English as a first language (TEFL). Learn more about TESOL and TEFL certification here: TESOL Certification | Teach English Abroad & Online | The TEFL Org.  

Training for Model Fidelity

All program staff must receive training in the RGM model prior to serving as facilitators. For more information, contact the purveyor. 

Contact Information

https://readingconnections.org/  

Joanna Ericksen: Family Literacy Director; jericksen@readingconnections.org  

Cost Estimates

The following cost estimates cover the cost of operating Read and Grow with Me! with one 15-week cohort of up to 25 families per semester (2 cohorts per FY). These estimates account for a cohort having up to: 10 infants/toddlers in one class, 15 preschoolers in one class, and up to 15 adults in each adult class. 

  • First year, total expenses: up to $52,678.50 
    • Personnel: up to $18,975.00 
    • Other expenses (assessments, books, meals, etc.): up to $33,703.50 
  • After first year, total expenses: up to $45,370.80 
    • Personnel: up to $18,975.00 
    • Other expenses: up to $26,395.80 

For more information, click here to view a sample budget.

NCPC Evidence Categorization

Evidence Informed – One evaluation that details findings for 3 unique cohorts.

Research Summary

The most recent publication on Read and Grow with Me! (RGM) is a report sampling three unique cohorts based in Guilford County, North Carolina.1 These cohorts consisted of primarily Spanish- or Arabic-speaking families. Across the three cohorts, children demonstrated improvements in their literacy and language development as measured by the PPVT and ASQ-3. Parents’ CASAS scores improved as most parents gained a full literacy level by the end of RGM. Parents also reported increasing or maintaining daily reading with their child for 5 or more days per week. The authors found that parents from Spanish-speaking families and low-income or poverty-level families showed the greatest improvements in reading practices. Further tailoring and cultural responsiveness are crucial to meeting the needs of families and supporting their literacy and language development. The program was most effective for families in the two 15-week models. 

  1. ^ See Reading Connections (2025). This report describes findings from three unique cohorts of the Read and Grow with Me! (RGM) program. The authors begin with detailed descriptions of the community need in Guilford County, North Carolina as well as program implementation for model fidelity. The cohorts consisted of a 15-week Fall 2024 cohort, a 15-week Spring 2025 cohort, and a 30-week Fall 2024-Spring 2025 cohort. The 15-week Fall cohort included 70 parents with 52 children ages 0-5 years. Parents were primarily female (n = 65) and predominantly spoke Spanish (63.1%). About a quarter of families identified as being low-income and 70% of families were in poverty. The 15-week Spring cohort included 37 parents of 31 children ages 0-5 years. They also primarily identified as female (n = 32) and Spanish-speaking (71.9%). Over half of participants were in poverty (54.1%) and 29.7% identified as low-income. These two cohorts had similar success in the RGM program. After completion, the frequency of their daily reading increased by over 30%, with at least 90% of participants in both cohorts reporting that they increased their daily reading or maintained reading 5 or more days per week with their child. Both groups saw improvements on their CASAS post-tests, with most participants gaining a full literacy level (Fall = 60.5%, Spring = 72.7%). Children in the Fall cohort did not see improvements in their ASQ-3 scores (65.1% at or above the cutoff at both pre- and post-test). The Spring cohort, on the other hand, had greater variability in ASQ-3 pre- and post-test scores (44.4% at/above cutoff at pre-test, 77.8% at/above cutoff at post-test). Both cohorts saw improvements in their PPVT and kindergarten readiness scores, with approximately 87% of children assessed in both groups demonstrating a gain of 3 or more points on the PPVT. The 30-week cohort included 46 parents of 50 children as 0-5 years. Families primarily spoke Arabic (93%) and most parents identified as female (n = 43). About a quarter of participants identified as low-income (23.9%) and 60.9% of families were in poverty. Parents in the 30-week cohort reported increasing or maintaining the frequency of daily reading with their child, with 76% reporting an increase to/maintaining reading 5 days a week. Most parents also demonstrated improvements on their CASAS scores, with 70.4% gaining a full literacy level. Children in the 30-week cohort saw some improvements in their ASQ-3 scores (73.2% at/above cut-off at pre-test, 78% at/above cut-off at post-test). Most children also demonstrated a gain on their PPVT scores of 3 points or more (87.5%). These findings suggest that RGM has positive impacts on parenting practices of daily reading and children’s language development. Spanish-speaking, low-income, and poverty-level families showed strong gains in daily reading and literacy development. Arabic-speaking families had modest gains in their reading practices, but their children had strong improvements in language development. The parents in the 30-week cohort, however, saw smaller improvements and some decreases in their use of positive parenting practices related to social-emotional development and language/literacy development while parents in the 15-week cohort saw improvements across the board. The authors note that further tailoring and cultural responsiveness is key to meet the needs of different families. Study limitations include small sample sizes, no control group, and the lack of statistical analysis as significance is not reported. The authors also acknowledged that not all post-tests could be completed due to staff capacity and time constraints.

Researched Population

  • Spanish- and Arabic-speaking families 
  • Parents/caregivers with children ages 0-5 
  • Families located in Guilford County, NC

Reading Connections. (2025). Read and Grow with Me! 2024–2025 Family Literacy Report. Reading Connections.

Date Last Reviewed by Purveyor: December 2026

Date Last Reviewed by NCPC: December 2026



Local Partnerships Currently Implementing

Local Partnerships in purple have adopted Read and Grow with Me! (RGM). Local Partnership contact information can be found here.