Raising Readers in Wyoming is always looking at ways to see whether or not our program is succeeding in our goals. One way we do that is through the parent cards placed in children’s books at 2 months, 12 months, 18 months, 2, 4 and 5 years of age. When a child gets books at these ages, the parent/caregiver is asked to fill out the information on the card which is then sent to the Raising Readers office.

The data is entered into a spreadsheet and annual research is conducted by an outside evaluator. Results of a 2006 study conducted by the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center reported families that participated in Raising Readers:

· read to their children more often and accumulated more children’s books in their homes as their children grew older;
· reported an average of 23 more children’s books in their homes when their children were 18 months old than when their children were 2 months old;
· increased the number of times per week a parent read to their children from a mean of four times per week among parents with 2-month olds to 5.5 times per week when their children were 18 months old;
· improved relationships with their children, and that children seemed to be learning more words and sounds as a result of program participation.