Year of the Book / CLiF Spotlight

2020 CLiF Community Literacy Conference

Hard to believe we are almost half way through the school year – 10 schools halfway through their CLiF Year of the Book and for ten more their follow-up momentum year. In the next half of the year, schools will welcome CLiF presenters author/illustrator Jason Chin, author/genealogist Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, author Sandra Neil Wallace, author/illustrator Marty … Continued

Year of the Book / CLiF Spotlight

The Year of the Book at Eden Central School

Eden Central School was one of ten elementary schools in Vermont and New Hampshire selected for this year’s CLiF Year of the Book grant. The grant provides $25,000 in exciting literacy programming, family events, new books for the school and local public library, as well as TEN new books for each student to choose. This … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

Literacy Programs Kids (And Parents) Will Love!

As schools, libraries, afterschool programs, and preschools ramp up for fall, we wanted to share some low-cost literacy program ideas that CLiF partners generated last year. Many of our grants now include an additional program component. The ideas listed here came from these CLiF opportunities: Last winter, CLiF added a $500 Revive grant to any … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

Bookmaking for Kids and Adults

In March, I traveled to Nicaragua with one of Planting Hope‘s multigenerational trips. Over the past eighteen years, this small NGO has been using volunteers to help bolster the schools and libraries in and around San Ramon. Our group of about 20 people, ranging in age from 9 to 79-ish, visited a different school or … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

One of Our Own: Middlesex, Vermont Author Katy Farber

I met Katy Farber around the time her first book for kids, The Order of the Trees, was published by Green Writers Press in 2015. Katy has a smile that reaches deep into her sparkly eyes. These are the kind of eyes that give her away as a curious educator and writer for children. I … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

nErDcampVT

On Sunday May 20, about 100 librarians, teachers, authors, educators gathered at Burlington High School for Vermont’s first nErDcampVT. The name says it all, and as attendees and organizers acknowledged, only true book nerds would give up a Sunday in May to talk about books, reading, and how to make more kids love both! The … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

CLiF’s Community Literacy Conference

Annually, CLiF invites past, present, and recently-accepted Year of the Book partners to attend the CLiF Community Literacy Conference. The main goal of the conference is to connect teachers, librarians, and administrators with ideas for making their Year of the Book fun and for continuing the momentum the grant generates. This year’s conference agenda included sessions on diversity … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

Spend April 19, 2018 with CLiF

How will you spend April 19, 2018? Maybe you will celebrate National Bicycle Day (we wish we could!), National D.A.R.E Day, or National Garlic Day. At CLiF, we will celebrate a big day of bringing kids together with books, community, authors/illustrators/storytellers, and having fun in school, the library, or at another favorite out-of-school-time place. So, … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018

Multicultural Children’s Book Day (1/27/18) is in its 5th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Its mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators.  

CLiF Spotlight

CLiF Spotlight: Belmont, NH

Question: Why is Marty Kelley, (right) author of the book Ladybug Award nominee Albert’s Amazing Almost Adventure and Almost Everyone Farts, reading The Organic Gardener’s Home Reference to elementary aged children? Answer: He read it to train them how to share books with others. Belmont Elementary School (BES) invited Marty to “train” their K-4th graders … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

CLiF Spotlight: Morrisville, VT

As we celebrated our wider national community this July 4, CLiF wanted to share an example of “community literacy.” Spotlight on Morrisville, VT. CLiF first visited Morrisville in Summer 2015 when the Morristown After School Program (MASP) applied for the Summer Readers program. MASP participants have developed a relationship with David Martin over the past three … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

CLiF’s Holiday Write to Read Contest!

Looking for some holiday book gifts for your class, program, or out-of-school-time group? Read more about CLiF’s holiday book giveaway contest! The book giveaway is a key component of all CLiF programs. Research proves that if kids can chose their own book, then they will be more likely to read it. CLiF has some titles earmarked for giveaways … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

CLiF Spotlight: CLiF’s Write to Read Contest!

Looking for a fun project for your students that will result in a new set of classroom books? Read more about CLiF’s first book giveaway contest! The book giveaway is a key component of all CLiF programs. Research proves that if kids can chose their own book, then they will be more likely to read … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

CLiF Completes Year of the Book Research

In 2015, CLiF received a grant from the Canaday Family Charitable Trust to study whether schools that had received a Year of the Book Grant (YOB) were able to sustain their momentum around literacy once the grant ended. CLiF contracted with Evergreen Evaluation and Consulting, Inc. (EEC) to conduct an external evaluation that addressed the following questions: How … Continued

CLiF has served over 350,000 children since 1998.

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