Our Research
Book Harvest is committed to continuous self-assessment, including rigorous external evaluation, to identify best practices as we expand our efforts to rewrite outcomes for all children.
2025 Book Babies Annual Caregiver Survey Report
Nov 21, 2025
By Cheri Coleman and Elliot Worth, Book Harvest
An annual caregiver survey is administered to all participating families who have completed at least one visit beyond enrollment. The survey is designed to elicit feedback on families' experiences with Book Babies and the aspects of the program that keep caregivers active and engaged. In 2025, 148 caregivers from three North Carolina counties (Durham, Forsyth and Wake) responded to the survey.
Books on Break and NC DPI's 21st Century Community Learning Centers
Sep 1, 2025
By Rachel Stine, Book Harvest National Director of School Age Initiatives, and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
During the summer of 2025, Book Harvest partnered with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers to bring Books on Break to over 100 program sites across 47 NC counties. After the completion of Books on Break at each participating site, electronic surveys were provided to parents/caregivers, staff, and site leads in order to measure the effectiveness of the program.
Reconnecting with Reading: Post-Covid Recovery (RWR): A Multi-Tiered, Evidence-Based Program to Support Durham’s Students Following COVID
Sep 1, 2023
By Rachel Stine, MSW;
Amanda Kolburn, PhD; Rihana Mason, PhD; & Karyl Askew, PhD
Book Harvest's former Reconnecting with Reading (RWR) program partnered with Durham Public Schools to promote literacy development in elementary school students, given the documented, negative impact of the COVID pandemic on student learning. The RWR program used three, evidence-based components to promote student reading engagement and proficiency in Durham with focus on grades 1-4. RWR was implemented October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023.
Book Babies Randomized Control Study
Jun 23, 2021
By Iheoma U. Iruka, Ph.D., Ximena Franco, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator), and Fernando Andrade, Ph.D. from Equity Research Action Coalition at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute with The Center for Early Education Research and Evaluation at HighScope Educational Research Foundation
Between 2017 and 2020, Book Harvest engaged external researchers to conduct a longitudinal randomized control trial evaluation of the Book Babies program.
In their own words: Parents’ voices about a book-provision program
May 7, 2021
By Meytal Barak, Book Harvest Director of Early Literacy, and Dr. Cristina Gillanders, Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado Denver
Drawing on research conducted by the Book Babies literacy coaches, this article, as well as the initial report, describe the integral role parents play in children's development, and the importance of Book Babies literacy coaches working alongside families in culturally responsive ways to create sustainable in-home literacy practices.
Keep Learning Alive (KLA): A Multi-Tiered, Rapid Response to Support Durham’s Students in the time of COVID-19
Dec 1, 2020
By Rachel Stine, MSW;
Karyl Askew, PhD; Rihana Mason, PhD; & Amanda Kolburn, PhD
With the onset of Covid-19, students experienced the longest ever period away from school and researchers projected significant learning losses as a result. Book Harvest responded to these dire predictions with Keep Learning Alive (KLA), a multi-tiered program designed to sustain the reading engagement and proficiency of students in grades K-5 attending Durham Public Schools and learning remotely due to Covid-19. KLA was implemented in Fall 2020 (October 14th through December 18th).
Book Harvest – Durham Public Schools
Summer Learning Partnership
Feb 1, 2018
By Center for Child and Family Policy Duke University
In 2018, Book Harvest worked with DPS to create the Summer Learning Partnership. This program was designed to expand upon the existing summer book provision program by providing select students with individualized instruction in addition to books during the summer. The Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) at Duke University designed and implemented the evaluation. The initial evaluation was conducted over the summer of 2018.