Mission:  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.

Vision: 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.

Success:  Since 2002, more than 457,618 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.

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.

Board of Directors:

Tim Sheppard, Board President. Cheyenne

Don Dorn, Vice President, Newcastle

Michael Fox, Board Treasurer, Maine

Sharon Catellier, Board Secretary, Cheyenne

Lynn Van Over, Member, Rock Springs

Karagh Brummond, Member, Laramie

Debbie Pummel, Member, Casper

Leslie Jefferson, Member, Rawlins

Nancey Scheffey, Member, Cheyenne

Stacey Pearson, Member, Casper

Peaches Tyrrell, Member, Cheyenne

Executive Director:

Sydne Ryan, Cheyenne