Literacy for all Children

literacy for all children logo About
Reading is not a gift we should give to children, it is a right that we owe them.

Mission
To provide ALL low income elementary school children with the opportunity to build a home library by giving them a minimum of 20, age-appropriate books each year of their elementary school experience.

We invite you to partner with us by donating books, canvas or cloth bags for packing and giving books (preferably without printing), school supplies or funds for the purchase of bags and books. Please make any checks payable to Achieving Vision (memo Literacy for All Children). Checks may also be made payable to CU Foundation (memo Literacy for All Children). All contributions will be formally acknowledged.

MAILING and/or DELIVERY ADDRESS:
Dr. Barbara Swaby, Director Literacy for All Children Inc
1533 Cragin Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
Email: bswaby@uccs.edu or Phone: (719) 255-4091

Overview
In 2006, after Hurricane Katrina more than 500 families were relocated to Colorado Springs, CO. The children were placed in public and private schools all over the city. A requirement for each student was to read at least 15 min each night. Reading becomes increasingly difficult for children who do not have books to read.

Dr. Barbara Swaby of the College of Education at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs conceived a plan to remedy this problem. The plan was called the Literacy For All Children Initiative. The mantra for the Initiative became “If the children do not go the library and the library does not go to the children, then let’s put the library on the child’s back and send the library home.”

Within three months, every relocated child was given a backpack filled with fifteen to twenty books. The Initiative was then expanded to all children of low income.

participantsDescription
Each child receives a canvas bag filled with a minimum of 10 age-appropriate books. In addition, we include a variety of literacy-related products when available, such as pencils, pens, writing journals, word, alphabet, number, color or shape cards, tape recorders with books on tapes, dictionaries, word books, knowledge/fact books and/or workbooks. These materials are taken home and owned by each child. Every quarter in the school year, if books are available, children will receive 5 more books. If a child remains in school for the entire year, that child will essentially receive a minimum of 20 books. Then the home libraries of EVERY elementary school child will approach appropriate levels.

Books are all donated by many different groups and individuals, including Boy Scouts working on their Eagle Scout projects. Explorer Elementary School in Colorado Springs has been donating books since the program started; and Borders Book Stores and Wal-Mart have started to make regular and significant contributions as well. Our partners have included:

• Borders Book Stores
• Boy Scouts working on their Eagle Scout projects
• Colorado Springs and El Paso County School Districts 2, 8, 11, 20, 49
• Explorer Elementary School in School District 20
• Faculty and Staff of University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS)
• Rotary Clubs
• Wal-Mart of Colorado Springs