About the program

Early literacy and simple strategies for parents and caregivers are important to support children's reading development at home by emphasizing reading aloud regularly, exploring diverse books, and discussing stories to enhance vocabulary and comprehension.

  • Since 2002, Raising Readers in Wyoming provides beautiful new books to all children in the State of Wyoming as part of children's well child health care visits, encouraging parents to read with their young children.

  • Raising Readers in Wyoming believes in the benefits of early childhood literacy and development, providing children books from the age of 2 months to 5 years old. Through this program, each child will have their own library of 10 beautiful new books.

  • Since 2002, more than 600,000 books have been distributed in all 23 Wyoming counties through our program. In 2019 alone, there were 27,635 children and families lives changed through reading.

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."

– Emilie Buchwald

History

In response to the leading research on early brain development, the Governor's Early Childhood Development Council adopted Raising Readers in Wyoming in 2002.  This program encouraged parents to care for both mental and physical well-being by reading to their young children and getting them age-appropriate immunizations.   PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning (the philanthropic arm of Pacific Power) was looking for an early childhood literacy program to fund in the states served by Pacific Power. Raising Readers became an independent non-profit in 2005.

A grant was written by the Department of Family Services to PacificCorp Foundation for Learning and was awarded to the Raising Readers in Wyoming program.  Child Development Services of Wyoming, Inc. was chosen as the grant administrator and provided an incubator for the program during its first three years.

Raising Readers in Wyoming is modeled after raising readers, a health and literacy program administered by MaineHealth in collaboration with EMHS and fully funded by the Libra Foundation.

Executive director

Sydne Ryan M.S., CSCS

Sydne has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember, and she brings that lifelong love of books to her role as Executive Director of Raising Readers in Wyoming. She is deeply passionate about early childhood literacy and the lasting benefits it provides—from laying the foundation for lifelong learning to fostering strong bonds between children and their caregivers through shared reading moments.

Sydne holds a master’s degree in Kinesiology and Health from the University of Wyoming. When she’s not championing literacy across the state, you can find her reading with her two young children or spending time outside with her husband, their boys, and their dog—soaking up all the little moments together.