Literacy is a foundation for social justice - it is a dynamic, transformative, multigenerational, and empowering process which can lead to personal and wider social change. At Make Way for Books, we realize the power of books and stories to foster children’s early literacy and language skills as well as to affirm children’s identities, to build their potential to imagine new possibilities, and to empower children to be the narrators of their own stories. We provide the highest quality books because the stories we share with children matter. Books provide a framework for building essential literacy and language skills to become a competent reader, as well as skills beyond those: resilience, critical thinking, and empathy. Make Way for Books exists to create social change in our community by promoting early literacy and education through a strength-based and two-generation approach that build the skills of our youngest children while also building the agency and connections between families, caregivers, and educators.
For us, it was life-changing to learn about the power and importance of books. We were able to identify with so many of the books we received and they helped me express things to [my son] that I would not have been able to communicate with my own words. With the books, I was able to actually show him. For example, the book Dreamers - since I migrated here from Guatemala, I was able to show [my son] how I had to make many changes, or how like in The Day You Begin, we arrived in a place where we seemed different and weren't able to speak the same language. With these books, I was able to communicate and connect with my son.
The work we do together is more important now than ever. Over the past year, Make Way for Books has continually adapted and innovated to meet the changing and diverse needs of children, families, and educators in our community. Through your support, we have approached challenges as opportunities to create new possibilities and pathways to professional development for educators and home-based providers, to adapt and iterate as we moved from online to hybrid family literacy programming, and to create new partnerships to develop original, diverse, and bilingual books that thousands of families can access on the Make Way for Books App. The partnership of parents, families, educators, and organizations in our community were essential to ensuring this work is achieved through a social justice lens. Throughout the year, we continued to work closely with educators and families to ensure we are designing programs and resources that are meaningful, culturally responsive, strength-based, inclusive, and truly speak to the needs of our community authentically.
In 2022, we were awarded the Library of Congress Literacy Award - American Prize for significant and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels in the United States. This distinct honor recognizes our innovative and impactful early literacy work and dedication to reaching our youngest children, families, and educators with meaningful, culturally-responsive, and effective programming. Our work, innovation, and impact are only possible thanks to our generous community.
Book by book, child by child, and family by family, Make Way for Books impacted thousands of young children over the last year by breaking down barriers to ensure children have meaningful, culturally-responsive, and bilingual early literacy and language experiences and the highest quality books at home and in the classroom. The generous support of our community has made all of this impact possible. Your support is what allows us to break down barriers and ensure thousands of young children throughout Arizona have meaningful early literacy and learning opportunities they need to become creative, curious, and compassionate readers and learners.
As we look back on a year filled with challenges, innovation, collaboration, and inspiration, we want to thank you - the supporters, families, educators, partners, volunteers, and all who make this work towards educational opportunity and equity and meaningful change possible.
The impact of this work goes beyond numbers.
It represents thousands of stories of learning, change, impact, and hope for a brighter future for young children in our community. We’re honored to share some of the stories behind this work with you below…
In our community, the majority of young children do not have access to high-quality early education before kindergarten, a situation only exacerbated by the global pandemic and closures.
Through our Family Education and Literacy strategies, like Story School and the Make Way for Books App, we work to meet young children and families without access to high-quality early education. We provide a two-generation approach to create meaningful change for children and their parents, grandparents, and other caregivers. Over the last year, young children in our programming experienced stories and literacy-building activities while parents discovered strategies to support their children’s early literacy, language, and social emotional development.
Story School - Adapting to meet families' needs
As we continued to navigate the changing community, we also adapted our bilingual Story School program to be more robust and flexible for families through a hybrid model. While families continued to access our Story School site for interactive videos, homework, and a Family Learning Space, they had the opportunity to join us for Live Learning online as well as in socially-distanced community locations. Story School was offered in locations like neighborhood schools, food banks, community locations, and a community farm.
Through a two-generation approach, every week children were immersed in shared reading and literacy activities while parents gained specific strategies, tools, and confidence to support their children’s early learning. Through guidance and modeling from our Family Literacy Specialists, parents and caregivers learned about their powerful role as their children's first, most essential teachers and gained strategies and ideas to support their children's early literacy and language skills, social emotional development, and positive approaches to learning. Using the Make Way for Books App, families extended their learning throughout the week by sharing quality books and literacy and STEAM activities using what they already have at home.
Over the past year families were thankful to have the opportunity to build community together in-person in inclusive learning spaces where children had the chance to interact with other children their age and families had the opportunity to connect. And, through our Story School site, families were able to connect, ask questions, and reflect on their learning through our Family Learning Space. As a result of the program, 95% of families felt more connected to other families and their community.
Thanks to your support, hundreds of families received a whole home library of 20 high-quality, bilingual, and multicultural books. As a result of the program, 95% of families share books more often.
This experience changed our lives. I’m sure that the interest he gained in reading will benefit him for the rest of his life. I am grateful for the opportunity to have participated in this program and hope that this program helps other families like ours that struggle to get their children engaged in reading.
Thanks to your support, 93% of children in the program developed increased vocabulary skills and 100% developed increased print motivation skills. Further, 99% of families gained skills to encourage their children’s curiosity through sharing books and hands-on learning.
Connecting literacy to all learning
Literacy is the foundational skill for all learning. Through our Story School program and Make Way for Books App, families learned how to support their children's literacy development while also building other skills, including social emotional skills as well as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) skills.
Children and families had the opportunity to ask questions, predict, and encourage curiosity by completing STEAM projects like making a rainbow and planting seeds. Families learned strategies to build emotional literacy through activities like creating feelings cubes and checking their “mood meter.”
Building vocabulary
Make Way for Books programs worked to foster children's vocabulary skills, a predictor of successful reading, using our word superhero, Paula Palabras, whose strength grows with words. After sharing books, families talk about vocabulary and use it throughout the week to build children's language skills.
Children add words to Paula's cape to build her strength (and their vocabulary skills).
As a parent, I have learned to slow down when reading and talk about the big vocabulary words which in turn will allow my child to increase their vocabulary. Another strategy I really liked was discussing the cover of the book and making predictions about the story, it’s fun to see what ideas my child shares with me.
Make Way for Books App
The Make Way for Books App is a two-generation, bilingual early literacy and language tool that accelerates children’s literacy gains by ensuring children have access to quality books at their fingertips, engaging families in research-based early literacy and language activities, and empowering parents with skills, knowledge, and resources they need to support their young children’s learning in the critical birth to 5 years and beyond. Your support over the last year allowed us to create new research-based activities to promote literacy and language development as well as STEAM skills.
The Make Way for Books App empowers and supports families in connecting and bonding with their children in their own language, in a way that is relevant and reflective of their culture by providing access to high quality diverse books, early education, and the science and research about early literacy and language development. Over the past year, we added 20 new books to the Make Way for Books App to help get new, culturally-responsive, and bilingual books into children's homes.
When we're on the go we're using the Make Way for Books App and every day we have to read Mariah Papaya (a Read Now book on the app). It developed his love of books and I feel like I learned too: I now know how to choose appropriate books for him and how to share them with my son.
The Make Way for Books App provided bilingual, early literacy and learning support, and quality books to thousands of families across Arizona, the United States, and even internationally.
I was very excited to use the app with my daughter, especially when she showed a lot of interest in the books available. We read nightly and have books that she loves and wants to read repeatedly so the app allowed us to read some different books in the week as well.
Thanks to your support, 99% of young children in our Story School program gained emergent literacy and language skills. And, 99% of parents gained skills, knowledge, and confidence to better support their young children’s early literacy and learning.
Through our comprehensive professional development strategies, Make Way for Books works to empower and connect early childhood educators working in under-resourced preschools, childcare centers, and home-based care settings throughout Arizona. Last year, thanks to your support, we impacted more than 450 educators and home-based care providers through communities of learning where we provided coaching and workshops focused on building young children’s early literacy and language development skills, social emotional skills, and positive approaches to learning. Through these comprehensive strategies, we also provided thousands of high-quality books and resources for classrooms and home-based care environments as well as children's homes.
We presented workshops focused on early literacy and language development, social emotional development, and developmentally-appropriate practices as well as the connections between literacy, identity, diversity, and social justice in early childhood. Your support meant we were able to adapt our work to provide workshops through online platforms, to provide book deliveries, and begin hybrid (in-person and online) professional development in 2021-22.
The Story Project
Through The Story Project we provide communities of learning where we offer content-based workshops focused on literacy and language development as well as coaching to support educators in integrating what they are learning in their classrooms. Understanding the challenges dedicated educators were facing, our team focused on providing effective strategies, books, and resources that educators could integrate into their classrooms quickly to support their children's early literacy and learning. Our programming is built on a foundation of strong relationships and trust. Through our communities of learning, educators had the opportunity to connect with our Early Literacy Specialists as well as one another to ask questions, discuss challenges, exchange ideas, and celebrate successes. As a result of the program, 94% of educators feel more connected to their professional peers.
Being a part of this experience has helped to build my own capabilities as a learner and a professional. It has elevated my own understanding and expectations for providing higher-quality care for children. This experience validates our own knowledge as teachers and confirms what we know is valuable in terms of caring for children. We feel empowered to share our knowledge with others and we know our value because Make Way for Books has asked us to provide feedback to help each other by sharing our experiences and knowledge.
Throughout the year, our Early Literacy Specialists worked to provide high-quality books and resources to under-resourced preschool, childcare, and home-based child care sites. Our team worked closely with educators to provide high-quality, diverse, and culturally-responsive books that mirror the cultures and languages of young children in their care. As a result of participating in our programming, 95% of education sites are more literacy-rich.
[I am] being more mindful of the selection of books. We have more books now that show more cultural diversity in the characters portrayed in the books. A lot of the books we were leaning towards and have used for years are mostly animals. Having a bigger variety of newer books has greatly expanded our selection on the shelves.
One example that has helped me become a better teacher is that now I am more aware of books that contain my students culture, rather than just books that go with a theme.
Cuéntame Collaborative
Home-based care providers play a critical role in our community, shaping the literacy, learning, and futures of children from a young age.
Through Cuéntame, we provide professional development that centers the assets of biliteracy and bilingualism, provide high-quality books and resources, and build community among home-based childcare providers. Our Early Literacy Specialists provide workshops, coaching, support, and resources that are designed to support the unique home-based childcare environment.
Rosa and Jessica [Early Literacy Specialists] make a very good team and prepare very educational and practical trainings to be able to put them into practice in our child care home. Topics and strategies for bilingual literacy at an early age and good reading habits become easier when people as charismatic and as good at coaching as Rosa and Jessica are always there to support us, giving us practical and effective ideas and encouraging us to continue stimulating bilingual reading in our environment.
Through workshops and coaching provided online, bilingual and multicultural books, and specific strategies, home-based care providers become part of a connected learning community of their peers and are able to take on their powerful role in supporting the early literacy and language development of young children in their care. At the end of the year, home-based childcare providers participated in a showcase to tell their peers about all they had learned and implemented throughout the year as a result of Cuéntame.
The children have a better version of me as a provider since I have more resources, ideas, and goals to help them in their learning thanks to this program.
Leveraging technology to impact educators
We continue to innovate to provide new professional development opportunities to ensure more educators in Arizona have tools, strategies, and support they need to foster the early literacy and language development of children in their care.
Home-based childcare providers participated in our Cuéntame Microcredential, an innovative digital course focused on early literacy and language development, as well as bilingualism practices in home-based care settings. This course was designed specifically for licensed home-based childcare providers in Arizona who speak Spanish and work with children ages birth to 5. Through this multi-month course, participants receive books, materials, and professional development credit. The Cuéntame Microcredential was developed in partnership and collaboration with recognized researchers in the field of early childhood literacy, biliteracy, and bilingualism, including Dr. Iliana Reyes, Ph. D., Associate Dean, Academic Affairs and Community and Global Partnerships at the University of Arizona as well as Dr.Dina Castro, Ph. D., Director of the Boston University Institute for Early Childhood Well-Being and Professor of early childhood education at the Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development.
In my case, being able to offer the children reading and bilingual development, that the children develop those skills, I wanted to give that to the children but I did not have the tools. I did not know where to start... Participating in this program gave me the tools I needed. This program promotes bilingual education, how it is important for children and for their development, for their brain, that makes them better readers, better citizens...it has impacted me a lot.
Our Story Project team worked to adapt our professional development strategies to a new, more robust platform where educators can view comprehensive videos modeling effective teaching strategies to support children’s early literacy and language skills, learn about how their practices align with and support children’s development, connect with other educators, and find resources they can use in their classrooms.
They taught me that we can continue learning through a [computer] monitor along with other educators. We learn, we share, and we renew ourselves with new ideas to implement with the children. We reflect, and get feedback, and share what we have learned by sharing photos and notes about what we’re doing so that everyone can see our work with the children. In each workshop, there is always something new to implement with the children…. I’ll often take that into my instructional practice the next day!
As a result of The Story Project and Cuéntame strategies, 99% of educators gained skills, confidence, and resources to better support the early literacy and language development of young children in their care.
In 2019, we expanded our Neighborhood School Readiness Model to impact children, families, and educators in Maricopa County. Through Neighborhood School Readiness, we provided comprehensive early literacy programming to meet the diverse needs of young children, families, and educators. Our strategies achieved success by engaging and empowering families, supporting educators working with children, and developing children’s early literacy skills. Project strategies link together at each school, creating neighborhood school communities that help children thrive.
Today, the project has been scaled to impact hundreds of young children, families, and educators each year. Over the last year, we expanded the work to new sites and are now partnering with Read On Southwest Valley, Read On Chandler, Avondale School District, and a number of community organizations throughout Maricopa County to connect hundreds of young children and families with early literacy and education opportunities.
I have learned tools to help engage my child while reading thereby improving both of our experiences during storytime at home. I have also gained confidence in my ability to improve her quality of life with stories by curating curiosity and love for reading.
Creating access to diverse and bilingual books
Through all of our programs, Make Way for Books works to affirm that families’ home languages, family stories and traditions, cultural knowledge, and diverse experiences are assets to their children’s literacy development and learning. Last year, your support provided books and programming for thousands of children.
These books are a platform for learning and bonding – 95% of families share more books with their children as a result of participating in our programs. We provided culturally-responsive books in which children and families can see their own stories and learn about others as well as books in families’ home languages.
Last year, across all of our programs, we provided more than 41,900 quality books to children’s classrooms and homes.
The importance of these books and literacy experiences is evident in words like these...
The books and supplies provided were beyond amazing - plus the fact that they were diverse books with Latinx authors and illustrators and bilingual, just amazing. He now has more access to diverse books at home as a result of this program.
In 2021-22, we worked to diversify the books we share with children, families, and educators even further and to ensure that a greater percentage of the books we share are created by BIPOC authors and illustrators. Through the Make Way for Books App, we developed new books and prioritized creation of books created by and illustrated by BIPOC creators.
Partnering to create meaningful change
At Make Way for Books, we know partnership is essential to ensuring that children have nurturing early educational experiences at home. We are proud to have partnered with hundreds of families, education professionals, nonprofits, agencies, home visitors, and more throughout the year to ensure our community is a place where young children can thrive.
Every partnership means we can collectively support our youngest children by creating real opportunities for early learning - such as creating partnerships with local school districts, nonprofits, and educational organizations, working in collaboration to facilitate our Parent Advocacy Group, partnering with home visitation professionals, creating new partnerships with food banks and community farms, and bringing the Make Way for Books App to children and families across the nation in collaboration with the Campaign for Grade Level Reading. Thank you to our partners for helping to make all of this impact possible over the last year.
Over the last year we were thrilled to be able to partner to bring our work to new communities in Arizona. According to Joanne Floth, Director of Read On Chandler,
Read on Chandler, in collaboration with Chandler Unified School District, is incredibly excited to welcome Make Way for Books’ Story School at San Marcos Elementary School – an A+ School of Excellence. Our youngest children and their families will find a warm and inviting place to gather and learn more about helping children to enjoy their literacy journey with Story School. A child’s family and caregivers are the most important influences in this journey. With Story School, we look forward to igniting a passion for reading and learning!
Partnering with parents to inform programs
In a partnership between Make Way for Books, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, and First Focus on Kids, we continued to facilitate a Parent Advisory Group (PAG) comprised of parents from family engagement programming provided by Make Way for Books and a number of community partners. The PAG provides critical feedback about their own experiences in family engagement programs and share areas where there is still need for support for families with young children.
I feel like I’ve gained the skill to inform other parents about the things we’ve discussed during the PAG meetings. I feel like I’m more knowledgeable on resources, not only I can use but also, I am able to inform people I know who might need any sort of resources.
Thanks to our generous supporters
Our impact is only possible thanks to generous support from our community. Thank you for helping us create a community where young children can become curious, creative, and compassionate readers and learners. We couldn’t do this without you!
Click below to see a list of our generous donors
Thanks to our amazing volunteers
We couldn’t be more thankful to the incredible volunteers that dedicated more than 1,700 hours to help keep our programs moving forward over the last year. Thank you to each and every one of our volunteers, including those who helped create resources and delivered books to preschools, packed and delivered backpacks filled with books to children and families, provided content and support for the Make Way for Books App, provided guidance and leadership on our Board of Directors, and so much more. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
I love helping out with this project and hope it makes a difference in encouraging young children to read books.
See a list of our amazing volunteers below
Thank you to our Board of Directors
Karyn Prechtel-Altman, President Deputy Director Pima County Public Library
David Lovitt, Vice President Assured Partners of Arizona
Stephanie Engs, Board Secretary Director of Education & Community Engagement, KXCI Community Radio
Patricia Clay, Board Treasurer Firm Administrator at WATERFALL, ECONOMIDIS, CALDWELL, HANSHAW & VILLAMANA, P. C.
Mary Jan Bancroft, Ph.D., Emeritus Founder of Make Way for Books
Paul D. Bancroft, Esq., Emeritus McDonald Carano
Felicia Durden, Ed.D Associate Superintendent High Academic Standards for Students, Arizona Department of Education
Nick Hilton Assistant Director, Government Relations, Local and Government & Community Relations, University of Arizona
Scott Ingram Nonprofit Consulting and Training
Sunni Lopez Early Childhood Educator, Sunnyside School District
Genny Matteucci Retired Executive Director, Brophy Community Foundation
Lucy McCain Retired Educator
Anne McLain, MBA Senior Director, Ambulatory Access, Banner University Medical Group - Tucson
Hannah Miller Editorial Assistant, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
Stephanie Pearmain, Professor of English, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Arizona
Dan Puglisi Sr. Director of Marketing & Strategic Initiatives, First Things First
Jennifer J. Stewart, M.B.A., Emeritus Award-winning children's author
Thanks to you Make Way for Books was able to adapt to meet the changing needs of young children, families, and educators throughout Arizona and remain a source of learning, connection, and hope over the last year. We can’t thank you enough for your incredible support.
At Make Way for Books, our mission is to give all children the chance to read and succeed. We work to ensure our youngest children have the early literacy and learning experiences they need to become creative, curious, and compassionate readers and learners. Your support means we can continue to innovate and meet children, families, and educators - where they are - with bilingual, culturally-responsive, and empowering programs and resources. Thank you for making it all possible.
Thank you.
Credits:
Make Way for Books