Scroll down for a timeline of important news and events about our Storybook Heroes, Readathon, and other happenings across our network of early literacy friends. To register for upcoming events, visit https://events.bookspring.org or call (512) 472-1791 x 104.
This March, BookSpring brought on a new leadership team member to our small but powerful team. Joy Diaz, Associate Director, comes with a wealth of ...
Joy Diaz is an award-winning journalist, radio producer, public speaker, educator, and bilingual storyteller with a deep love for books. Diaz has a degree in ...
Now that I am retired, I feel I have time to start serving on boards that interest me. Raised in Louisiana but have been in ...
A trusted advisor and mentor, Deborah is recognized for clear, calm leadership in times of crisis, her ability to connect stakeholders across complex environments, and ...
Valerie Silva is Vice President of Compliance and Counsel at Guild Mortgage, a national lender, who supports Silva's journey with BookSpring. Originally from New Mexico, ...
Judge Sandra Avila Ramirez serves as the presiding judge of the 98th District Court, which sits as the juvenile court in Travis County. A native ...
Ryann Collier is the Vice President of Brands at Arrow, a strategic public relations & branding agency in Austin. Throughout her career, she’s had the ...
Janis Daemmrich is vice president of client relations at Bob Daemmrich Photography, where she has worked with her editorial and commercial photographer husband for 28 ...
Julio Moreno is the Publications Coordinator at BookSpring. As an illustrator and graphic designer, Julio brings his prior experience working with picture books to BookSpring ...
Emily is the Development and Communications Coordinator at BookSpring. After studying Environmental Sustainability in college, she has worked for a variety of non-profits as well ...
Casey Gibbs is the Director of the Library at St. Edward’s University and a family man, musician, gardener, amateur radio operator, and game master. A ...
Erin is an activist, community volunteer, commercial real estate attorney, former small business owner and mother of two daughters. She spent the first 18 years ...
Kellie Sauls (she/her) is a dedicated DEI leader proudly calling Austin, Texas, her home. Her passion lies in guiding and supporting others on their unique ...
Susan graduated from Dartmouth College and worked in the investment banking and high-tech industries for 25 years before becoming a licensed real estate agent in ...
Marvin is an accomplished Retail Manager with a rich history in the retail sector, including successful stints at Golfsmith and his current role at WorkQuest ...
David has always lived in Texas. Born in 1964 in Weslaco, he now divides his time between Austin and the Rio Grande Valley, where he ...
As a bilingual librarian here in Austin ISD, I bring my expertise in education, language and literacy development, and book selection. Why do I serve? ...
Ryan joined DK Partners in 2019 and became a Partner in 2022. Prior to that he was with HumanN, a branded direct response growth company, ...
Stephanie Schweinfurth is a recent transplant to Austin from Dallas. She has spent more than 20 years as a community volunteer spending much of that ...
As an entrepreneur, and a special needs mom with a social work background, who is “raising readers,” Stephanie has a heart for helping others and ...
Jeremy is a Senior Real Estate Officer at The University of Texas at Austin. He has a B.A. in English from Colgate University, a M.B.A ...
Andrea brings her public library background, nonprofit expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and years of service on education and art boards nationally and internationally to BookSpring. Her ...
Joshua Blank is the manager of polling and research at the Texas Politics Project. Born in New York, New York, he has a bachelor's degree ...
Marcia has over 20 years of nonprofit experience across multiple fields–including education and law. She currently works on the Public Policy team at the Texas ...
We’re excited to share some fantastic news: our B3 Books app has shown an impressive increase in engagement, with families now spending an average of ...
Introducing the B3 Books App, a companion resource for fostering early literacy and a love for reading in families. This free app, available on both ...
What is your job title at BookSpring and what does it mean to you? My role as an Administrative Assistant is to act as support ...
Exciting news! BookSpring is honored to have received the Nonprofit Impact Award at the Greater Austin Business Awards, hosted by the Austin Chamber of Commerce ...
We are thrilled to share the incredible news that BookSpring has been honored as a 2023 Literacy Awards Winner by the Library of Congress. This ...
What is your job title at BookSpring and what does it mean to you? I am the Logistics Manager which means I help the organization ...
BookSpring has joined the Diverse Books for All Coalition, a new initiative addressing the need for increased access to diverse children's books. The Coalition is ...
By: Jeannine Herron, et al. In this overview, learn how early literacy benefits from both print-to-speech and speech-to-print instruction, creating connections in the brain that ...
by Dr. Emily Ball Cicchini, Executive Director As we kick off this new year, our 49th of continuous operation, the challenge of communication across the ...
What is your job at BookSpring? I’m the Accounting Manager, so I handle the financial books and assist with fundraising and donor relations and data ...
What is your job at BookSpring? I’m BookSpring’s Operations Manager. That means I have a uniquely diversified role. I manage all of our operations from ...
BookSpring is proud that our roots come from Reading Is Fundamental, the national program headquartered in Washington DC. In addition to being a continuing funder ...
Embracing the Digital Age In this rapidly evolving digital age, it is only natural that technology has become an integral part of our lives, including ...
Let's Read a Book Together! Reading is not just a solitary activity; it can be a wonderful opportunity for families to bond, learn, and grow ...
Porch.com recently reached out for advice from experts, like BookSpring, to provide book lovers with tips on various topics. This is an excerpt from the ...
The promotion of literacy at home has long-term benefits for the whole family. Reading together not only has developmental benefits, but it also increases the ...
For a young reader, having access to books is paramount. Research suggests that increasing the number of books available to students, especially at a young ...
Research confirms that families play an essential role in promoting early literacy. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, reading daily to young children helps their ...
Why Celebrate Reading Milestones? Reading milestones are important moments to acknowledge and celebrate within a family. Recognizing and rewarding reading accomplishments not only provides a ...
New ways of gifting "forever" books BookSpring has continued to deliver books through partnerships with elementary schools, childcare centers, and clinics throughout the pandemic. In ...
By Emily Ball Cicchini, PhD Making Back To School Special This year back to school feels so strange for so many families. The comforting routines ...
Summer is the perfect time for kids to immerse themselves in reading U.S. Bank employees are teaming up with us to promote summer reading! Employees ...
We're reposting this guest blog, by Natalia Mirkowicz, to encourage parents and caregivers, during quarantine, to establish a reading routine with their babies at home ...
Reading regularly with young children stimulates optimal patterns of brain development. Books in the home and reading together can strengthen parent-child relationships during a critical ...
Encouraging diversity in your children's books early can create a sense of empathy and representation in young readers. While some readers yearn to find themselves ...
Parents and educators, BookSpring has compiled another list of Spanish-language educational videos and reading materials that are perfect for engaging young children. These links feature ...
Book drives are a great way to engage your family, friends, neighbors, or colleagues in a low effort project with maximum impact for families in ...
Amidst a great amount of change and uncertainty throughout the current public health crisis, we’d like to shine a spotlight on one of our partners ...
Congratulations to Gail Wihelm, the lucky winner of the Smart TV Time Raffle. And a huge thanks to everyone that participated! Your support helps us ...
We are celebrating Emily Ball Cicchini's five-year anniversary at BookSpring! She joined BookSpring in February 2015 and is proud of all that we, as a ...
Love to read even if it doesn't come easily Encouraging reading at home can sometimes present challenges for families. Distractions, time constraints, and reluctant readers ...
By Lorena Koppel: Volunteer I had an awesome time representing BookSpring this weekend at the Community Connections Resource Fair, sponsored by Austin Energy! The fair ...
by Emily Ball Cicchini, Executive Director This coming "hindsite is 20/20" year promises to be landmark one for BookSpring and for all the partners and ...
BookSpring is proud to be a partner in literacy with BookPeople. BookPeople has been the leading independent bookstore in Texas since 1970. Located in the ...
It is no mystery that summer break can result in an exponential loss of academic skills or the “summer slide.” Research conducted by John Hopkins’ ...
250+ guests from across the business, community, and political spectrum joined us for our annual Storybook Heroes fundraising luncheon -- and made a huge six ...
Rachel McElroy and her husband Griffin host a weekly podcast called Wonderful. Listeners are encouraged to write in with items of enthusiasm such as movies, television, ...
By: AuntieCam, Guest Blogger As March gets underway, many communities will celebrate Fat Tuesday, the last day before the Christian season of Lent. Those in ...
It is never too early to share books with your baby. Reading to babies immerses them in sounds, rhythms, and rhymes building language and early ...
By: Ashley Hawes, JLA Volunteer As the world grows increasingly smaller due to connectivity through the internet and global travel, children’s books should represent the ...
Dobie Pre-Kindergarten Librarian Alexia Haywood, in front of her newest bulletin board, holding two of her favorite books. By: Kara Hooper/ Guest Blogger “Oh, I ...
Do you want to contribute in a unique and meaningful way to our mission? We love to distribute books that are written by or for ...
By: Nicky and Sam Ellis - Guest Bloggers of Horse Foals Man and horse have shared a strong bond for thousands of years. Horses are very friendly ...
Mariela Rodriguez/Communications Director Over the last three years, we have been recipients of book drives held by several professional meetings, events, or conferences engaging their ...
The giving season kicked off with Book People featuring BookSpring in its annual Giving Guide. This year they are featuring organizations whose missions they connected ...
Sarah Rasmussen has been a children's librarian for six years. As the librarian at Reilly Elementary, Sarah works to constantly engage the community in and around ...
With the 20 Books by 2020 initiative under way, the need for books to distribute through our programs with healthcare (Rx), education (Ed), and community ...
The mere presence of books in the home creates a culture of learning that translates to a more prosperous future. Books allow children to explore ...
“The heart of a volunteer is not measured in size, but by the depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of ...
Jill Gonzalez receives Storybook Hero Award from Emily Ball Cicchini (Executive Director), Drew Scherz (Board President), at Austin Taco Project, Austin Hilton, Aug 29 2018 ...
Atlassian is our pick for the Volunteer Spotlight! Atlassian is an Australian enterprise software company, that specializes in products for collaboration and product development. They ...
BookSpring recommends that families explore reading together at home online. Digital children's books can be a terrific online addition to a print library, if the ...
As another school year ends so does the service of some outstanding board members. These individuals are deeply committed to sharing their love of reading ...
Austin’s early literacy advocates stepped up to provide “Happily Ever Afters” for local children. Community and business leaders raised over $112,000 in support of BookSpring’s ...
Emily Ball Cicchini, PhD Executive Director Emily joined BookSpring in 2015 and is a strong believer in the long-term benefit of early childhood literacy and ...
By Joel Gross Photos by Tyler Schmitt / The Mill Photography BookSpring is excited to announce the launch of Summer Success, a new full-scale program designed ...
By: Rebecca Shah In our house there are about 15 minutes after supper and before we start the bedtime routine that are often challenging for ...
by Mariela Rodriguez Earlier this month, BookSpring Champion Dan Rourke celebrated his 60th Birthday with a mission. This was no ordinary celebration. He requested no ...
Over Half of Austin Children Reading on Mobile Devices A wide body of research consistently shows that reading is one of the most important indicators ...
BookSpring’s van has been hitting the streets throughout Central Texas to get resources needed to children and families through partners already serving them. Tools that ...
By: Joel Gross Photos by Tyler Schmitt / The Mill Photography Studio At BookSpring we know one of the most critical areas in students’ early educational ...
BookSpring is a very special place to be. Our mission and vision are tied to the success of children and families and their learning to ...
The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) held their annual conference late July at the Austin Convention Center. We are very grateful that AALL selected ...
(Pictured above: Executive Director Emily Ball Cicchini, President Ann Gass, Immediate Past President Chris Randazzo) BookSpring was pleased and proud to honor some of our ...
BookSpring has just completed preliminary evaluation of the pilot Read For Success program in Central Texas and the results are very encouraging. The program is ...
BookSpring hosted its annual luncheon on April 21 at the Westwood Country Club. Its charming early 1900’s architecture, hand painted ceiling, and Mexican title floors ...
A group of local authors are lending their support to BookSpring's efforts. They were the featured guests at our Benefit Luncheon in April 21, 2017 ...
Volunteers from WE Communications pose with McBee Elementary Librarian Heather Stephens after spending the day volunteering in her library. WE Communications employees here in Austin ...
My first involvement with Ana Menchaca was through her Girl Scout troop. They volunteered to work on a project the Rotary Club of Austin was ...
BookSpring was recently awarded a grant from the MAXIMUS Foundation. This foundation awards grants to local community organizations with programs and projects in the areas ...
GE Aviation of Austin hosted their first volunteer event with BookSpring. Over 70 employees helped build literacy through the community on Tuesday, December 20. “We ...
BookSpring and the Junior League of Austin (JLA) teamed up for another successful Coats for Kids' community fair book distribution on Saturday, December 10, 2016 ...
BookSpring's Clinics & Health Partner Manager Cynthia Ivey was elected as Vice President of Community Partnerships of The Community Health Champions Alumni Leadership Committee for 2017 ...
Tis the season for giving, giving what you can to make a difference! Austin University Area Rotary Club members give the most precious gift of ...
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