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 IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Overheard at the Library | |
No Toys; Just Books, Please!
One preschooler at Creative Beginnings has asked for a toy every year for her birthday. This year she told her mom. "I'd like to have 'The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit,' " a book by award-winning author Susan Lowell. The girl had checked out the book from the MWFB preschool library and decided she wanted one of her very own.
Once a Week Not Enough
The director of Mulcahy City YMCA said the lending library was "so popular with children and their parents, we had to extend check-out days to twice a week."
Acting Out Favorites A-OK
The director and co-director of Small World 2, who have both attended MWFB early literacy seminars, say the children are read books from the lending library every day and have some favorites they now go back to over and over again. "Our graduating Pre-K class loved Pete Seeger's book 'ABIYOYO' so much that they acted it out for their graduation presentation."
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| BIRTH OF A MWFB LIBRARY
& Caring for Books |
Books at MWFB headquarters are ready for distribution.  |
MWFB early literacy consultant Cheryl Ridgley begins to unpack new books and explains how to keep them as good as new.  |
Ms. Cheryl introduces each new book to the children at Kids First Preschool.  |
Children help put away their new books.  |
Time to read and learn proper book handling!  |
But that's not all! The children get to check out books all yearlong to take home and read with their families.  |
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ALL IN A DAY'S WORK
Busing It About Town
Read to Me, Arizona! messages have been popping up all over town--on billboards, at bus stops, and inside buses. If you haven't already had the opportunity, check out the free downloadable literacy resources for parents.
Getting the Job Done
A group of commendable teenage girls, organized by a local Girl Scouts troop, flex their muscles and their minds as they build (in the hot July Tucson sun!) three new Blue Book Houses for giveaway books. The girls were excited about helping get books to children who need them. They did an awesome job, and MWFB very much appreciates their contribution to early literacy.
Youth in Action
Teens with the Youth Volunteer Corps hone their skills at following directions, working together, and building as they put together two new Blue Book Houses and learn about early literacy.
Early Literacy Takes Center Stage
Preschools and child-care centers housing MWFB lending libraries attend reading readiness workshops so the books will always be put to the best use. | |
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STORY TOWN GIVING |  |
It may not be until November 6, 2010, but we're already gearing up for the seventh annual Story Town Family Literacy Festival.
This year we've got more fun than ever scheduled. We'll have five stages for storybook theater featuring some of the best children's books around: "We're Going on a Bear Hunt," "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom," "Rhyming Dust Bunnies," "Three Little Fishies and the Big Bad Shark," and "I'm Not Cute." Get set for reading fun, arts and crafts, singing and dancing.
Plus, this year, we're adding family literacy workshops to the fare. You can help make the workshops a success by sponsoring a family.
Help Us Serve Families
A one-time gift to MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS for $25 will provide a family the opportunity to attend a family literacy workshop at Story Town, free books to take home, early literacy activity supplies, and yearlong support through Read to Me, Arizona! Family Read-Aloud Nights, Blue Book Houses, and free early literacy guides.
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SPECIAL APPRECIATION
$500 plus contributors
July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010 | |
Altrusa International Annual support of Story Town ($750). |
American Academy of Pediatrics
Contribution to the Read to Me, Arizona! campaign ($2,000).
Bancroft, Susa, & Galloway
Support of the 2010 Open House ($1,160).
City of Tucson Contract
Funding for MWFB preschool programs ($16,610).
Davis, Abbott & Jean
Steadfast support of MWFB and early literacy ($500).
Duffy, John & Anne ($500) Commitment to children and continued support of MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS. Eliot Spalding Foundation
Funding to get books into the hands of children and provide early liteacy rsources to preschools and families ($6,500).
Commitment to early literacy and MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS ($1,000).
First Things First (FTF)
Funding for early literacy services and accreditation consultation in preschools ($270,900).
First Things First Family Support Alliance
Support for MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS for Babies and Read to Me, Arizona ($16,315).
Harry & Marjorie Stewart Foundation
Support to provide children with books and help families understand the importance of early literacy ($1,000).
Ingram, Laurie & Dave
Longtime support of MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS and early literacy ($1,000).
Literacy for Life Coalition
Funding for the Reach the Parent; Teach the Child pilot project ($5,000).
Support of the Read to Me, Arizona! public awareness campaign ($800).
Locke, Catherine
Donation to give children a good start toward successful lives ($1,000).
Long Realty Cares
Help to put books into the hands of children who need them most ($1,500).
Meschter, Emily
Dedication to giving children in Tucson the best start possible ($2,500). Picor Charitable Foundation
Help to send books home with children($1,700).
Sakrison, Dee Ann & Jim Dedication to putting books into the hands of young children ($500).
Scripps, Deborah & Ric
Steadfast support of early literacy ($500).
Support to maintain early literacy programs serving child-care centers, children, and their families ($10,000).
Social Venture Partners Greater Tucson
Grant and expertise to foster sustainable growth and meet the increasing early literacy needs in our community ($25,000).
Staples Foundation for Learning
Grant to launch and sustain for one year the Read to Me, Arizona! public awareness campaign ($20,000).
Stewart, Jennifer J. & Bruce
Unwavering commitment to MWFB and dedication to the children in our community ($500). Stocker Foundation
Generous grant to fund MWFB Summer Reading Buddies ($8,000).
Target Charitable Contribution
Funding to support community family literacy events and education ($6,000).
United Way Diamond Fund
Support for early literacy programs ($25,000).
United Way First Focus on Kids
Support fo MWFB preschool programs ($20,000).
United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona
Funds to get Read to Me, Arizona! resources into the hands of families who need them most ($3,400).
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MWFB BY THE NUMBERS | |
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END OF YEAR
June 2009-July 2010
11,667 new books added to libraries at child-care centers and in-home provider sites
94 child-care centers and 40 in-home providers served
6,362 new books given away to preschool children to take home and keep
7,866 gently used books distributed from Blue Book Houses
21 early literacy workshops conducted, with 613 participants
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Greetings!
 MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS is fortunate to have many friends who have supported us as we grew from one volunteer in one preschool more than 12 years ago, to a continuum of early literacy services serving more than 135 child-care sites and thousands of families.
Honoring Volunteers and Supporters
The dedication of our volunteers and contributors who have done so much to improve the lives of so many children inspired the 2010 MWFB Open House. We simply cannot say it enough: Thank you. M AKE W AY F OR B OOKS would not be what it is today without you.
Not only are we growing existing programs to meet the increasing need for early literacy services, but also we have a few new projects in the works, including two curriculum models: one to improve the early literacy knowledge of parents ( Reach the Parent; Teach the Child), and another to help teach preschool children concepts of peace (the MWFB Picture Book Peace Project).
Ballot Item Puts Preschool Program at Risk
While we continue to provide more family literacy support, the preschool program remains at the core of M AKE W AY F OR B OOKS. The expansion of the preschool program in the last year has been funded largely by First Things First. First Things First is a voter-initiated measure passed in 2006 that earmarks an increased tobacco tax for early childhood and literacy development and preventive health care.
Now lawmakers want to abolish all the First Things First programs and use the money to help meet Arizona's burgeoning budget shortfall. They have placed a vague and misleading measure--Proposition 302--on the November ballot to get us voters to upend our own law.
Friends, please vote NO on Proposition 302
Keep the focus on children, and keep MWFB preschool programs in tact. We, the voters, knew what we were doing in the first place: filling a void to give Arizona's youngest children a fair chance in life and improve the outlook for all of Arizona's citizens.
Sincerely,
Mary Jan Bancroft , Ph.D.
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Programs in Full Flight |
Up, up, and away! It's "Super Duck." Buddies at Kids First Preschool on Pima explore Jez Alborough's newest Duck book to find out if Super Duck and his friends can rescue a kite-riding Frog (above right). Meanwhile, a Buddy at Nosotros-El Rio Day Care Center tries his own hand with his newly made kite.  |
SUMMER READING BUDDIES SOARS TO NEW HEIGHTS
A record 589 students at 15 child-care centers are loving this year's Summer Reading Buddies program: "Flying High with a Good Book." School-age children and preschool children team up once a week to read flying-related books and share activities and crafts. The younger children build their reading readiness skills for kindergarten while the older students keep their reading skills from sliding during the break. The participating children and centers and all of us at MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS extend a very special thank you to the Stocker Foundation for funding this year's MWFB summer program.
PASCUA YAQUI READ ALOUD NIGHT HONORS TRADITION
Traditional songs and a visit from tribal princesses--added to the storybook theater, free books, and community dinner--made the Family Read Aloud Night at the Ili Uusim Mahtawapo Head Start in April an event to remember and one that MWFB hopes to build on in the coming months.
"We are working toward partnering with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to organize more Family Read Aloud Nights as well as place Blue Book Houses on the reservation for distributing free children's books," said Mary Jan Bancroft, MWFB Executive Director.
Members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe enjoy a fun, unique, standing-room-only Family Read Aloud Night at the Ili Uusim Mahtawapo Head Start.  |
ANATOMY OF A 'PEACE' CURRICULUM
One of the Peace Project Books (above) was penned by Beki Quintero, who spearheaded construction of a Peace Garden in her Tucson Sunnyside neighborhood.  |
Books have long played a key role in teaching peace and tolerance, and MWFB is excited to be developing an early literacy curriculum for preschoolers that incorporates concepts of peace.
"We've chosen a collection of 25 great picture books to teach and reinforce children's peace with themselves and others," said Jenny Volpe, MWFB preschool program specialist and a member of the Picture Book Peace Project team. "The stories embrace concepts of generosity, caring, compassion, sharing, respect for all life, and positive conflict resolution."
Titles for the collection will be announced in the next couple of months on the MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS and Read to Me, Arizona! websites (so stay tuned!). Team members are now developing teaching guides and early literacy and peace activities to accompany the books.
"The Picture Book Peace Project embraces our philosophy that appropriate book content is an important part of a child's early literacy experience," said MWFB Executive Director Mary Jan Bancroft. "In addition to criteria for developmental appropriateness and reading readiness skill building, we always consider social and cultural sensitivity, responsibility, and inclusiveness in our book choices."
Four kindergarten classes at Mission Manor Elementary School, six preschool or child-care centers, and eight home providers in Sunnyside neighborhoods will participate in the initial phase of the project, which not only includes books and activities but also provides early literacy training and consultation for teachers.
The MWFB Picture Book Peace Project, in partnership with the Pima County Public Library, interfaces with the Sunnyside Neighborhood Peace Initiative and is made possible by funding from the Literacy for Life Coalition.
REACH THE PARENT; TEACH THE CHILD
Books to be used with the new MWFB family education model are a good fit for parents who have limited literacy.  | Many parents of the children MWFB serves need help to improve their basic literacy so they can do more to foster their children's reading readiness.
To further support family literacy MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS is developing a training model that educates parents about
early literacy and reading readiness strategies: Reach the Parent, Teach the Child.
The "teach-the-trainer" model is geared toward teaching parents (who will then teach other families) the benefits, stages, joy and fun of reading aloud to their children (birth through age 8). MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS is collaborating with the Pima Community College Family Literacy Program, Pima County Public Library, and Reading Seed, to develop and implement the model.
FIRST THINGS FIRST CONTRACT RENEWED
The First Things First contract has more than doubled the number of preschools and child-care centers for which MWFB provides early literacy services--from 46 in 2008-2009 to 94 in 2009-2010.
Additionally MWFB is providing services to 40 in-home providers, bringing the total to 134 child-care sites served in 2009-2010. The $180,400 contract will enable MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS to sustain its current level of preschool programs.
The First Things First funding, however, is dependent upon voters at the November polls reinforcing a measure passed in 2006 that earmarked proceeds from a tobacco tax increase for early childhood development. For more information on saving First Things First and the upcoming vote, visit savingfirstthingsfirst.org.
HOME PROVIDER EARLY LITERACY KITS A BIG HIT
The 28 MWFB home provider early literacy kits (Picture Book Kits), provided to home providers in the South Pima Region by First Things First (FTF), were so popular that United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, with the support of the FTF North Pima Regional Council, has commissioned 27 of the rotating kits for use in its area.
Home providers check out the kits (including English, Spanish, and bilingual options) for a month at a time. Home-based child-care centers say they can already see the difference these reading readiness materials are making in the early literacy skills of their children.
Each home provider Picture Book Kit contains 15 books with accompanying reading guides for select titles.  |
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Ask an Expert | |
GETTING READY FOR KINDERGARTEN
One mom wonders what types of things her daughter will be expected to know when she gets to kindergarten in the fall and how the family can help her prepare this summer. A MWFB early literacy expert offers up some really fun ways to introduce children to the letters of the alphabet and the writing process.
Ask an Expert on the Read to Me, Arizona! Website, a M AKE WAY FOR BOOKS sister site, provides detailed suggestions for fun letter-learning activities. All of the resources at readtomearizona.org, including reading readiness activities, book suggestions, and read-aloud tip sheets, are free.
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Volunteers at the Heart of Matters |
Longtime Storytime volunteer Sheila Wolf (far left) and award-winning children's book author Susan Lowell (far right) spoke movingly at the Open House about the difference we make, as Emily Phy, MWFB Preschool Program Coordinator and event emcee, and MWFB President Steve Brong look on.  |
Many of our friends joined us in May as MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS honored all of its supporters.
Volunteers and contributors make it possible for Make Way for Books to provide the early literacy programs Tucson so desperately needs. And nowhere is that need more apparent than in the child-care centers served by our dedicated Storytime volunteers. Sheila Wolf (above left), aka "Bubbles," spoke movingly at the Open House about the toddlers she read to years ago who have beat the odds, breaking the cycle of low literacy. "These children," said the 10-year Storytime volunteer, "were living in the worst of circumstances." Some, born to very young parents, even had grandparents serving time in jail. "Now these fourth- and fifth-graders are reading poetry and books written for young adults," she said. "They love books!" We couldn't take all the Open House guests into the child-care centers and homes where Make Way for Books is impacting lives, so we brought the children, families, and child-care providers to the Open House via a video. If you haven't had the opportunity to see the video, we've posted it at makewayforbooks.org.
Because giving children the opportunity to fall in love with books and reading is a big part of the MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS mission, special guest Susan Lowell was on hand to inspire the crowd with true-to-life stories about writing and publishing children's books and the oft-misunderstood javelina (aka the "skunk pig"--but don't tell them that!), which grace the pages of some of the award-winning author's most popular children's books. Ms. Lowell donated the proceeds of the sale of her books to MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS.
In all the Open House raised more than $5,000 in individual donations. We are grateful for the continued generosity of our supporters.
JOIN THE STORYTIME READERS; SIGN UP TODAY!
Our goal is to have volunteer Storytime readers in every child-care center that needs us. Storytime volunteers read to children in child-care centers in low-resource areas of Tucson for about an hour a week. If you'd like to join this inspired group of individuals or volunteer in other ways, please call 520-721-2334, or email info@makewayforbooks.org.
DOZENS OF HAPPY-GO-LUCKY FRIENDS JOIN THE CLUB
Storytime volunteers are fast becoming friends with the three dozen or so newest members of our puppet gang. (The children love them, too!) If you haven't already had the opportunity to meet them, stop by the library and check out one or two with your favorite books to read to the children.
These are just a few of our furry new friends. |
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Cool Coming Events |
Family Read Aloud Night
Aug. 18 (Wednesday)
6 to 7:30 p.m.
El Pueblo Neighborhood Center
1021 W. Irvington
Spooktacular Get-together for Storytime Volunteers
Oct. 28 (Thursday) 5:30 to 6 p.m.: Optional Workshop (Storytime tricks and treats, aka strategies)
MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS
3955 E. Fort Lowell Road
Tiny Tales for Tots
Aug. 14 (Saturday)
Sept. 11 (Saturday)
Oct. 9 (Saturday) 10 a.m.
Mini-Time Museum of Miniatures 4455 E. Camp Lowell
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| HAPPY BIRTHDAY VOLUNTEERS |  Sue Smith--July 8 Audrey Cione--July 9 Patrick Cunningham--July 15 Anne Morgan--Aug. 1 Marsha Schull--Aug. 7 Arthur Goldberg--Aug.14 Marlee Millman--Sept. 2 Jenny Merkle--Sept. 10 Kay Spencer--Sept. 15 Jeanie Colaianni--Sept. 23 Colette Price--Sept. 24 Sheila Wolf--Sept. 24 | |
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July 21, 2010 
