Books for Me: Empowering Students through Book Ownership
Do you work at a childcare center or elementary school with 70% or more Free or Reduced Price Lunch Eligible students in Texas? If so, you can apply to host a Books for Me event at your site!
Learn more about our flagship book ownership program, Books for Me. By creating a personal library at a young age, together we can empower and motivate students to develop strong reading habits for a lifetime.
Our Program
At BookSpring, we believe in child choice of books and inclusion. Our program ensures that every child at the partner site receives at least one book per distribution. We provide the following resources and support:
- Books: We offer a wide range of books for children to choose from.
- Instructional Resources: We provide additional materials to enhance the reading experience.
- Motivation Activity Kit Loans: Engaging literacy-related activities to inspire children to read.
- Technical Assistance: We assist you in setting up your book gifting events.
- Program Evaluation and Reports: We offer guidance and feedback to improve program effectiveness.
- Trained Volunteers: Our volunteers are available to support your program (as available).
Program Fees
To cover a small portion of our total cost, we charge a program fee of $0.79 per child per single book distribution. This fee allows us to sustain and expand our program. We encourage you to choose up to six book distributions per year per child (up to $4.74 per child), as evidence supports the greater academic impact of increased book access. Please note that program availability is limited, so apply as soon as possible.
The Need
Many students, particularly those from low-income families, lack high-quality, developmentally and culturally appropriate reading materials at home. Books for Me aims to provide long-term support in addressing this need. Learn more about the importance of building home libraries in a recent white paper study by Scholastic.
Our Approach
Books for Me focuses on providing “forever books” to children from birth through 12. Our approach includes:
- Free Book Choice: Children have the opportunity to choose and keep books without any cost to themselves or their families.
- Diverse Book Selection: We display dozens of books, allowing children to explore their interests and make their own choices.
- Engaging Activities: Our partner childcare providers, pre-kindergarten teachers, elementary librarians, and volunteers organize exciting literacy-related activities during reading celebration events, motivating children to read.
Testimonials from Books for Me Participants
“It was nice to have a familiar event in the library during this pandemic school year. It was nice to decorate the library and be able to give books to students.” – Librarian at T.A. Brown Elementary – AISD Title I School
“I get to keep books to myself, and I can make collections and read them all I like.” – Fifth Grade Student
“One of my students who is not typically a big reader said, ‘I just don’t know which books to choose – there are too many good ones!'” – Librarian at Overton Elementary – AISD Title I School
Impact Goals
At BookSpring, we have specific goals to measure our impact:
- Expand Home Libraries: Our aim is to increase the proportion of children with at least 20 or more books at home, as measured by the Central Texas Reading Survey.
- Motivation to Read: We strive for an overall motivation to read score of 80% or more after each distribution event to ensure program quality.
- Partner Satisfaction: We aim for a satisfaction score of 90% or more from our participating partners.
Join us in empowering children through book ownership. Donate to support this project, or, if you want to host an event, apply for Books for Me today!