A Plea from Family Reading Partnership on World Read Aloud Day
February 4, 2026
Ithaca, NY
Family Reading Partnership, an Ithaca institution for the last 30 years, is looking to the public to help save its home at The Shops at Ithaca Mall. The space opened in 2022 and quickly became a go-to spot for local caregivers with young children. They are aiming to raise $100,000 by May 31st to replace an ancient heating and cooling system and stabilize their finances. Executive Director Amber Smith explains that the organization has faced declining revenue due to the recent financial climate, which has led to a large budget deficit and the threat of closure.
“We have seen some of our crucial grants and donations reduced by over 50% in the last few years. Family Reading Partnership provides preventative programs, for which there are fewer funding opportunities than an organization that provides relief for immediate needs, like a food pantry or shelter. Both are necessary to truly support families. If we invest in babies and their caregivers in the years when the brain grows to 80% of its adult capacity, we can prepare children to learn to read and interrupt cycles of educational trauma and poverty.”
In addition to hosting a free family play area, The Nook, their location at the mall serves as the hub for the organization’s distribution of over 20,000 children’s books to local families each year. They fill the 50 Bright Red Bookshelves that stretch from Groton to Newfield and provide new books to all children at their pediatrician visits. If you have raised a child in the Ithaca area in the last 3 decades, you have almost certainly received their materials! Despite serving every family in our community with free resources, they receive no municipal funding.
In survey responses, local parents expressed their support:
“The Nook is an essential place for us. We always feel welcome no matter who is working, and have met many families that we did not know from other experiences in town. It is such a reliable space to connect and play and feel good about the interactions I have with my kids.”
“Please don’t eliminate these programs. They’re so important to us as a very low income family.”
What you can do to help:
- Make a one-time donation
- Become a Bright Red Bookshelf sponsor, or ask your employer to consider a donation
- Set up a recurring donation, $10/month provides dozens of books to families!
- Donate your gently used children’s books
- Come have a meal or drink at Monks Gives Back on February 4th from 5-10 pm. 50% of proceeds will go to Family Reading Partnership!
Donations to Family Reading Partnership’s general fund can be made online here:
https://www.familyreading.org/giving/
Please send checks to Family Reading Partnership, PO Box 4132, Ithaca, NY 14852
If you or your business are interested in sponsorship opportunities, or if you have questions, reach out to Executive Director Amber Smith, amber@familyreading.org or call 607-277-8602.
