Encourage Your Child to Develop New Hobbies
Do we know what our children are extraordinary at, other than their academic curricula? That is where we, as parents, need to excel.
What’s New
A Reading Specialist’s Tips: How to Help Kids with Writing
Successful writers understand the difference between strong and weak writing, and use that knowledge to create stronger drafts.
The Importance of Reading Bedtime Stories To Your Child Before Sleep
Once upon a time, there was a parent who had a child. For one reason or another, this parent didn’t read to their child. Why? We’re not sure. Perhaps that’s a different story – one that involves excuses like “being too tired” or wanting to binge-watch Friends for the eleventh time because they’re deeply unsatisfied with … Continued
CLiF Turns 20!
The Children’s Literacy Foundation (“CLiF”) has been inspiring a love of reading and writing among low-income, at-risk, and rural kids in Vermont and New Hampshire for 20 years! In that time, we’ve served more then 225,000 kids in 400+ communities and given away nearly $6 million in children’s books! Last week, we celebrated this milestone … Continued
After 20 Years, CLiF Has Just Begun
Twenty years ago this week the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) was born. Like all new nonprofits, we started small. Our first initiative was the Rural Library Program. We created it to provide collections of new, high-quality children’s books to rural public libraries in New Hampshire or Vermont that were struggling with limited resources, and that … Continued
Spotlight on the CLiF Year of the Book
We’re a little more than halfway through the school year, and, for ten schools in Vermont and New Hampshire this year, the CLiF Year of the Book, which promotes a celebration of reading and writing all year long. As we welcome National Reading Month, which kicks off with Read Across America Day on March 2nd (beloved … Continued
Books to Help Kids Deal with Bullying
It’s no secret that bullying and cyberbullying is an issue facing many of our children.
How to Help with Reading: A Reading Specialist’s Tips
When is it time to start working on reading skills? Right now.
The Interesting Connection between Literacy and Behavior in Children
People are getting more enlightened today with the help of literacy. Without literacy, we wouldn’t be able to shape meaning out of the world. That is why it is so important to continue fighting for the increase of literacy for everyone. In the case of children, literacy isn’t just about understanding things and expressing opinions. … Continued
7 Ways Reading Improves Emotional Intelligence
Here are some of the ways in which reading can improve emotional intelligence in readers of any age.
How Children’s Books Can Change the World: A Father & Author’s Perspective
As the father of 4 wonderful kids, I understand how important it is for them to be outside, burning energy and exploring the world around them. Not to mention, it helps keep the house a little more tidy and gives us parents some time to catch up on our favorite show or book or whatever … Continued
What Educators Want Parents to Know
Educators want parents to prepare their children and teens for school by sharing a love for learning, the attitude that learning more is important, and the expectation that all children can become successful in school. How to do this?
7 Indoor Winter Games and Activities for Kids
We have created the following survival guide featuring 7 indoor winter games and activities for kids to keep them happy and regain a little bit of our sanity
Santa’s Workshop: Delivering Books to Children of Prison Inmates for the Holidays
The CLiF office looked remarkably like Santa’s workshop this week as holiday tunes played in the background
General / Book Recommendations
Read Your World: Children’s Books That Celebrate Diversity
With the call for more diverse books in the publishing business, it’s been heartening to see a small uptick in children’s books that reflect the beautiful diversity of the faces we see around us more and more each day. Heeding that call, three women in central Vermont are striving to make folks in their predominantly … Continued
Thank you for sharing the gift of literacy!
We know Thanksgiving was last week, but this week at the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) we’re feeling pretty darn thankful. We’re thankful for the many generous donors who gave 359 children’s books and dynamic literacy programming to the kids we serve for #GivingTuesday, and all our supporters who have donated so far this year. Your … Continued
The Gift of Reading
“I like how you can go on adventures without even leaving your house. You can travel around the world and learn new things.” That is how a child who attended a Children’s Literacy Foundation Summer Readers event last summer described reading. To him, a book is full of adventures and new things to learn. … Continued
Thank you from the Children’s Literacy Foundation!
As we gather with family and friends this week, we at the Children’s Literacy Foundation (“CLiF”) want to share how thankful we are for so many wonderful partners, supporters, and volunteers, who help us spread the joy of literacy to thousands of low-income, at-risk, and rural children in Vermont and New Hampshire each year. CLiF … Continued