Healthcare (Rx), Education (Ed), and Community-based Organizations (Go) may apply to participate in BookSpring programs.  Most programs require a small program fee to secure a space at least 4-6 weeks in advance or your program or event.  We offer a Continuum of Literacy Programs designed to reach children from birth through age 12 by building active and supportive communities of readers.

We reach children and families where they live, work, and play through professionals that they know and trust.

For current updates on program availability, please contact Program Coordinator Alejandro Torres at alejandro.torres@bookspring.org or (512) 472-1791 x 103.

Bookspring Rx

• Who do we reach? Children (0-5yrs) and their parents/caregivers
• What do we do? Distribute new and used books, parent educational materials and assists medical professionals in pediatric literacy
• Where does it happen? Clinics, Community Health Centers, (mostly low-income serving)
• When does it happen? During well-child exams, clinic waiting rooms (gently used books)
• Why does it work? Stimulates early brain development/pre-literacy skills and changes family behaviors around reading and reading aloud
• How do we know it works? A parent-based exit survey of motivation, book ownership, and satisfaction of care
• How is it supported? Program fees, individual donations, grants, volunteer time

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BookSpring Ed

• Who do we reach? Children/students (0-12yrs)
• What do we do? Distribute new and used books, motivational activities, educational materials for parents and assist educational professionals in reading promotion
• Where does it happen? Elementary Schools, Pre-Schools, Early Childhood Centers, Child Development Centers, Charter Schools (mostly low-income serving)
• When does it happen? During school hours, over Summer Break, after school and out of school hours
• Why does it work? Improve educational outcomes and influence motivation to read and learn
• How do we know it works? Analysis of standardized formative and summative assessment in reading; survey based on the validated scale of the motivation to read books
• How is it supported? Program Fees (on a sliding scale based on free/reduced lunch percentage), grants, donations, volunteer time

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BookSpring Go

• Who do we reach? Families with children 12 and under from selected zip codes in Central Texas
• What do we do? Provide motivational reading experiences and improve, create, and/or expand reading spaces and access to books
• Where does it happen? City-wide, in community centers, housing services, and partner nonprofits (mostly low-income serving)
• When does it happen? In and out of school time (after-school, summer), one-time events with partners, and public events
• Why does it work? Builds awareness on the importance of reading and provide access to books, literacy materials, and positive adult interactions
• How do we know it works? Exit survey using a scale of motivation to read books and our activity reports demonstrating outputs based on research
• How is it supported? Cooperative agreements, grants, donations (books and money), and volunteer time

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Program Impact

We measure our activities in numbers and demographics of readers, books, sites, and hours spent directly and indirectly with children.  We measure our impact through the annual Central Texas Reading Survey.  We prove our impact through a variety of evaluation methods grounded in research-based models that focus on language skills and social-emotional learning, as well as participant satisfaction. We engage elementary students and the librarians, teachers, healthcare professionals, and parents of all children in our service area through the inspiration of being lifelong readers. See our Blog for periodic updates on specific program activities, and our Mission & Vision page for regular updates on our progress on the key metrics of books distributed, children engaged, and hours of engagement across all our programs.

Site Coordinators

If you are a community leader, school librarian, teacher, principal, pediatrician, medical professional, or childcare provider interested in promoting literacy with the children and families you reach, we need your help to coordinate our programs for delivery at your location.

While most programs require a small fee for participation (79 cents per child, per book distribution event), you can work with funders to sponsor your participation and we sometimes have special discounts or waivers for specific geographic areas of need.  Applications are taken on an ongoing basis during the pandemic and requests are generally greater than we can accommodate, so applying early is key to ensuring your spot.

We want to work with you to get books into the hands and homes of your students, patients, and clients!  Your involvement as a volunteer site coordinator is critical in developing a fully literate future together.  Please read more about BookSpringRx, BookSpringEd, and BookSpringGo, and contact us to learn more about how to enroll in our partner services.