CLiF is taking on summer 2018 with our Summer Readers program. Summer Readers brings storytelling presentations and book giveaways to libraries, schools, camps, and more sites all across New Hampshire and Vermont. Watch this video to get a taste of CLiF’s Summer Readers program. This summer CLiF hopes to serve over 9,000 children and give … Continued
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
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
Americans are lonely. The rate of people feeling misunderstood and not heard is at an all-time high. In fact, a study that was conducted by Cigna in May 2018 showed that nearly half of the 20,000 Americans surveyed feel alone or left out. In order to break away from the pattern of loneliness, people … Continued
There are many learning games and activities that will not only help your child or teen to become more successful in school, but will also be fun to play.
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
As the school year comes to a close and life begins to slow down a bit for some, public libraries everywhere are gearing up for their busiest time of the year: the summer reading program.
As we lean into the warmth of the changing seasons, I am excited to share some important new picture books on shelves now, or arriving very soon. These books are for the kids on the margins, and also for the rest of us learning how to be their best allies. The messages conveyed in these … Continued
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
Hello out there gang….. I’m excited to have you all join me one way or another. I’ve built my last 2 books with my own readers, yup, in “real time,” too. What I mean by that is teachers and students have been following me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter when I’m out in the field … Continued
April is National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poetry in all its forms. Many schools and programs take advantage of this month to launch poetry units and special events. Towns such as Montpelier, VT celebrate with Poem City, a city-wide initiative that posts poetry all over public spaces and celebrates poets with readings and … Continued
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
Do we know what our children are extraordinary at, other than their academic curricula? That is where we, as parents, need to excel.
Successful writers understand the difference between strong and weak writing, and use that knowledge to create stronger drafts.
Good news for my fourth grade daughter – for the latest semester of school, she has been appointed a member of the school’s “Awesome Reporters.” This group of students picks topics of interest to them and the student body and puts together articles with photos that are posted in school and sent to the local … Continued
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
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
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
CLiF has served over 350,000 children since 1998.