Children's Book Fund Grants

A partnership project of:
Family Reading Partnership
Local Community Members
BorgWarner Morse TEC

Overview

Through collaboration and sharing of our community vision for literacy, we know that many human service organizations that work with families have wonderful ideas for connecting parents and children with books. The Family Reading Partnership invites organizations to apply for a Children's Book Fund Grant that would help make these ideas for family reading encouragement a reality. We will consider grant requests small or large (min. $100, max. $5,000). We are eager to hear ideas for making books a special part of everyday family life for children in Tompkins County.

NOTE: Grants are only for the purchase of literature books for families to keep.

Criteria for Selection

Grant proposals are measured on the extent to which they
1. Target low-income families with young children.
2. Provide inspiration and direct support to families in the use of books.
3. Select high-quality literature books for families to keep.

Application Process

Non-profit community organizations in Tompkins County may apply.
The form is also available by email from us at office@familyreading.org.

Project Background

In 1998, the Family Reading Partnership established the Children's Book Fund to provide grants for quality children's books to local organizations to be given as gifts to low-income families with young children they serve, in order to encourage family reading practices. The grants are funded by donations from individuals and business in the community. Our goal is to provide area organizations annually with books totaling $10,000 in value.

Ways books are used by human service organizations

Day Care Council home visitors carry books as gifts for children when they visit low-income families deemed "at risk." The home visitor stresses to parents the importance of reading and fun they can have in interacting with their children around books.

Family Treatment Court judge gives out books to children in the family as encouragement to parents. The case aide creates an environment where parents can read books to their children during supervised visitations. Books are used to teach parents skills and to encourage them to build relationships with their children.

Catholic Charities supports families in identifying their own goals and in deciding on steps they need to reach them. The agency gives a children's book with a self-empowerment message to families who seek their services through the Samaritan Center, the Child Health Plus program, and family mentors.

Measures of Success

One mother whose daughter received Nancy Carlson's book I Like Me from Felony Drug Court wrote that her daughter "liked I Like Me so much that she not only read it over and over again at home, she also took it to school and read it to her class."