Early literacy programs

All three phases of our literacy programs are linked by design, so a child’s progress is sequential and deliberate.

Our first phase: Early Head Start

Ages 0-3

Do very young kids read? Yes! They decipher pictures, learn rhymes, and explore words with their caregivers. But what if there are no books in the home? Or, if they can’t seem to sit still long enough to look at them?

We have teamed up with EHS (Early Head Start) educators and home visitors who go into the homes of their families every week, take the books we provide to their children, and model reading and acting out the stories with their parents.

We call this program Barclay's Book Fun!

Our books are always movement centric so we engage the kids while providing needed early literacy cues such as rhyme and rhythm. We also provide an activity book which we create in collaboration with Head Start faculty, that has age appropriate movement ideas, stories about Team Long Run’s mascot, Barclay, and lots of fun ideas for parents to do with their toddlers. Our goal is to build home libraries one Barclay’s Book Bag at a time.

Two young children seated at a table with a colorful book, one child looking directly at the camera, the other child looking to the side.

Our second phase: Head Start

Ages 3-5

Once a child enters a Head Start classroom we continue to provide support for their early literacy development.

We ask teachers to choose books from their curriculum which we buy for each child to take home in a Barclay's Book Bag. We develop and distribute an activity book to enrich the book they will be getting, and which includes a social story connecting active play and reading through our mascot Barclay the dog; as well as lots of other activities, and a toy or item (e.g. a tennis ball) that supports the theme of the book.

We also buy curriculum books for classroom libraries to ensure that each classroom has the books in their library that they are reading in class.

Smiling young girl sitting in a car seat holding the book 'The Night Before Kindergarten'.

Our last phase: Title 1 Elementary School

Ages 5-12

Brown Bag Books is our elementary school program, delivering books to the home through curated titles taken from the curriculum.

Teachers in our target schools (Title 1) choose 3-4 books a year that they would like their students to both use in the classroom and take home for their home libraries.

Supportive materials are developed by school literacy professionals to engage families and enrich the student’s understanding of the book they now own.

‍The Highest Peak Foundation is the principal sponsor of Brown Bag Books.

An older man with glasses and gray hair reads a book with a young girl in a classroom setting.

Active play

Learn about our active play programs for kids ages 0-12! Just like with our early literacy programs, all three phases of our active play programs are linked by design, so a child’s progress is sequential and deliberate.

Learn about our active play programs  ➜
Smiling young boy with short brown hair wearing a light blue sweatshirt standing outdoors on grass.
Smiling boy with curly hair crossing his arms outdoors against a clear blue sky.
Smiling young girl holding a colorful picture book featuring various illustrated food items like pizza and apples.
Young boy with blonde hair holding up a card with a large green leaf and sun illustration.
Smiling girl with a long braid wearing a white 'Run Club' t-shirt, holding her hand to her forehead against a clear blue sky.
Smiling young boy with short brown hair wearing a black and red Under Armour jacket outdoors on grass.
Smiling young girl with curly blonde hair wearing a large pink bow and a pink jacket outdoors on grass.
Young girl wearing white top raising her arm outdoors with other children sitting in the background.