San Juan Unified celebrates $100,000 early literacy investment in 30 classrooms

San Juan Unified School District is strengthening its literacy initiatives with the help of community partners, bringing $100,000 worth of multilingual books to many of its K-2 classrooms. 

San Juan Unified, in partnership with the Masons of California and national children’s literacy nonprofit Raising a Reader, celebrated early literacy and family engagement at Starr King K-8 on Jan. 14. The event highlighted the $100,000 investment in reading support for young learners and their families, made by the Masons of California.

The event brought together district leaders and partners to celebrate the implementation of the Raising a Reader program in 30 San Juan Unified classrooms, one of the largest single-district installations of the program in California. Launched in November, the program enables families to read nearly 100 books throughout the course of the school year, strengthening reading skills and encouraging regular reading at home. 

“The sponsorship of the Raising a Reader program is more than a donation. It is an investment in educational equity and an investment in the future of our community,” said Trent Allen, acting superintendent. “At San Juan Unified, literacy is one of our top priorities, and we know that having our early learners with good reading skills is one of the top predictors of their future success. And we are not leaving success to chance.”

Through this partnership, students in participating kindergarten through second-grade classes received rotating red book bags of high-quality, bilingual and multilingual books to take home each week, building strong reading habits and encouraging families to read together.

The program was offered through a voluntary teacher opt-in process, with interest exceeding available capacity. Forty-five teachers expressed interest, and 30 classrooms were selected to participate, highlighting strong demand for effective, low-burden literacy supports amid increasing classroom demands.

During the celebration, representatives from Raising a Reader announced the expansion of the program within San Juan Unified.

“Because of this shared commitment around early literacy with the Masons, Raising a Reader and San Juan Unified, I am so happy to announce that we are going to extend our partnership into 15 more classrooms,” said Sierra Hersek, vice president of revenue at Raising a Reader.

Following the remarks, guests visited classrooms to see the program in action. During teacher-facilitated question and answer sessions, students shared what they enjoy most about taking their red book bags home.

In Erica Firenze’s first-grade classroom, Haven said she enjoys “reading all of her books at home and getting better at reading.” Another student, Abby, added that reading has become part of her bedtime routine, saying she reads with her mom before going to sleep.

The program reflects San Juan Unified’s commitment to supporting early literacy, strengthening family engagement and fostering student success from the earliest grades.