{The BVTMB team is thrilled to do a regular series on local non-profit organizations in our community. We will highlight a different non-profit with the hopes to educate and support all of the fabulous things they do. We encourage you to read, comment, and share what non-profit organizations are close to your hearts and families.}
BurlingtonVT Moms Blog LOVES CLiF! One of our team members work for this amazing non-profit and a few of our other team members have participated in some of CLiF’s programs and have been amazed at the story-telling and the books that their children have walked away with.
What is CLiF?
The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) is a nonprofit organization located in Waterbury Center, VT. Their mission is to nurture a love of reading and writing among rural, low-income, and at-risk children up to age 12 throughout Vermont and New Hampshire. They partner with organizations that serve children at risk of growing up with low literacy skills to provide free interactive presentations, new books, and customized literacy programs.
The Facts
- 28% of NH children and 37% of VT Children live in low-income households.
- 74% of low-income NH fourth graders and 70% of low-income VT fourth graders do not read proficiently.
- 61% of low-income families have no books at all in their homes for their children
- Fewer than half of all young children are read to daily
- 91% of kids say the books they like best are the books they choose themselves.
CLiF’s Impact
Since their founding 18 years ago CLiF has served over 180,000 children in more than 400 rural, impoverished towns (roughly 85% of all communities) throughout NH and VT. CLiF’s literacy programs benefit children from various backgrounds, all of whom are at high-risk of growing up with low literacy skills.
CLiF’s Programs
CLiF’s programs reach children who are at the greatest risk of growing up with low literacy skills. They have five programs that include writing workshops, inspirational storytelling presentations by professional authors and illustrators, brand new free books for kids to keep, parent seminars, and new books for schools and libraries.
CLiF Year of the Book
This year long sponsorship provides $25,000 in literacy support to eight public elementary schools in NH and VT who have a demonstrated need. Support includes author visits, writing workshops, parent seminars, assemblies, field trips, minigrants, and more. Additionally, they provide books for school and town libraries, and for students at book giveaways, where each student can take home and keep up to 10 books over the course of the program.
Children of Prison Inmates
This year long sponsorship works directly with prisons throughout VT and NH to provide parent seminars, book giveaways and special events for families, storybook projects, storytelling presentations, and an onsite library for family visiting rooms. This program inspires children of inmates to read more often and gives prisoners extra confidence to read to their children, even if they are not strong readers themselves, and many books the inmates and their children can read together and keep.
At-Risk Children
CLiF works with organizations such as shelters and low-income housing, ELL classrooms, and community and childcare centers to provide inspiring literacy programs and support, an onsite library, parent seminars, and new, high-quality books for children from low-income families and for other children who are at risk of growing up with low literacy skills.
Rural Public Libraries
CLiF enables rural public libraries to create excitement around reading, expand their collection, increase circulation, and strengthen relationships with the communities they serve. Their year-long sponsorship provides books for town and school libraries collections, storytelling presentations, and book giveaways.
Summer Readers
CLiF works with organizations serving at-risk children during summer vacation to provide inspiring storytelling presentations and book giveaways at 60 summer programs across the Twin states. These events combat the ‘summer slide’ and keep books and reading a part of children’s lives during school vacation.
This March, CLiF is spreading the joy of Dr. Seuss far and wide!
March is National Reading Month and kids across America will celebrate reading ALL MONTH LONG kicking off with Dr. Seuss’ Birthday and NEA’s Read Across America Day on March 2nd. CLiF will be celebrating, too, by collecting books from one of their favorite authors, Dr. Seuss, to give directly to children served by CLiF’s At-Risk Children program.
For just $10 per book, you can help CLiF Spread the love of Seuss by donating your favorite Dr. Seuss book.
For details on how to help, visit them online!
Your donation will go directly to buy the book(s) you choose (as long as they are available). The book will be given directly to a child in need through CLiF’s At-Risk Children program, in hopes that it will make as big a difference to him or to her as it made to you.
