Are you ready to make a difference in the lives of our children and the future of our community?
Cass County Reading Railroad is an Early Literacy Program to help change lives in Cass County, Indiana by
supporting parents as their child's first teacher and to help children achieve their utmost by kindergarten and first grade.
Our Programs:
Begindergarten™ is a 90 hour summer program that helps children prepare to enter kindergarten and is taught by local teachers. Children are screened at kindergarten registration. Those who are identified as in need of additional instruction and skill-building are invited to attend. This program is FREE to participants and includes breakfast, lunch, transportation, and supplies. Logansport Schools provide breakfast and lunch, and they also provide classroom space and a donation to the program. Learn more about Begindergarten™ here.
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library provides an age-appropriate book to Cass County children each month from birth to age five. There are currently 1,494 children receiving a book a month. The Imagination Library covers administrative costs of the program. Reading Railroad and United Way of Cass County serve as the local affiliate and cover the cost of books and postage. The State of Indiana began covering half of the bill for local affiliates starting in September of 2023. Children must be signed up for this program. Parents can register their child online.
The Business Partner Program pairs a local volunteer with one of 85 PreK through 2nd grade classrooms in Cass County. This program is running in all four area schools: Caston, Lewis Cass, Logansport, and Pioneer. The Business Partner reads a Reading Railroad provided book to their partner class each month from September to April. The book is then donated to the classroom, which is a total of 680 books added to classroom libraries.
First Grade Library Visits is a program where first graders from Logansport and Lewis Cass Schools visit their public library each month. Volunteers read a story to the students and work with them on learning about the library. Many children would not otherwise have the opportunity to go to their public library.