Launching Children Into a World of Reading
Mariela Rodriguez/Communications Director Over the last three years, we have been recipients of book drives held by several professional meetings, events, or conferences engaging their members in community service or charitable projects. This is a great way to give back to your host city. When attendees contribute to the host community, it builds a bond […]
Barbara Mott is the librarian at Rodriguez Elementary. After years of working as an educator, this bibliophile had a change of heart. Barbara opted to go back to school to become alibrarian. Her passion for books shaped her life. Barbara recalled her mother always reading to her and her siblings. Growing up she could typically […]
GO programs engaging caregivers and children through motivational activities in read alouds and book giveaways. This holiday season curl up with the family and some good books. Take turns reading pages aloud and pause to ask questions and discuss among one another characters, plot, and more. Books serve as a tool for parents to use […]
The giving season kicked off with Book People featuring BookSpring in its annual Giving Guide. This year they are featuring organizations whose missions they connected to deeply and others they have worked with to make Austin an incredible place to live. Book People is hosting give-back days throughout the month of December. “We’re so excited […]
Sarah Rasmussen has been a children’s librarian for six years. As the librarian at Reilly Elementary, Sarah works to constantly engage the community in and around the school in the joy of reading. Her love of kids, books, and introducing students to the excitement of getting lost in a book and know that reading can help […]
With the 20 Books by 2020 initiative under way, the need for books to distribute through our programs with healthcare (Rx), education (Ed), and community (Go) partners. It is these partnerships that allow us to reach children and families in need across Central Texas. Two of our greatest supporters in launching children into a […]
The mere presence of books in the home creates a culture of learning that translates to a more prosperous future. Books allow children to explore the world at their own pace and develop their own interests. Print rich homes cultivate the language, social-emotional, and interpersonal skills needed to prosper and thrive in academics and beyond. […]
The next generation of philanthropists are wasting no time in setting their plans in motion. Local high school student Simms E. is on a mission with her kickstarter campaign. What began as an assignment for her final Spanish IV class project, morphed into an opportunity to bring to life his dad’s stories while sharing them with the […]
“The heart of a volunteer is not measured in size, but by the depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of others.” – Deann Hollis Meet Kara Hooper, who began her volunteer work with BookSpring in July 2018. Kara is an educator currently on sabbatical and spending a year in Austin. […]
BookSpring’s Central Texas Reading Survey offers intriguing insights into the state of reading in Central Texas, and the implications for early literacy efforts in our community. We launched the assessment to provide you with real-time statistics that measure reading habits among parents and caregivers with children under the age of 12. Low Book Ownership Across Many Incomes Research […]
by Emily Ball Cicchini, Executive Director September, 2018: We here are BookSpring have announced a big audacious goal: to get 20 high quality children’s books in every Central Texas homes. This vision is being driven by social science research that shows a statistically significant correlation between the size of home libraries and children’s future academic […]
Jill Gonzalez receives Storybook Hero Award from Emily Ball Cicchini (Executive Director), Drew Scherz (Board President), at Austin Taco Project, Austin Hilton, Aug 29 2018 Today is a bittersweet day at BookSpring as we say goodbye to one of our long-time staff members, Jill Gonzalez. Jill is embarking on a new journey as Executive Director […]
Pictured Left to Right: Holly Tompkins (Atlassian), Joel Gross (BookSpringEd Director), Alison Page (Atlassian) with Galindo Elementary reading champs Kathleen and Manuel. We celebrated the completion of the Summer Success reading program today by partnering with Atlassian to give away new bikes at Galindo Elementary. Summer Success is designed for first and second grade students […]
Atlassian is our pick for the Volunteer Spotlight! Atlassian is an Australian enterprise software company, that specializes in products for collaboration and product development. They opened doors on their Austin location in 2014. The magnificent employees of Atlassian began their involvement with BookSpring as a sponsor for our annual Read-A-Thon. Employees even volunteered their time […]
This summer, BookSpring took its mission on the road and headed south toward the border of Mexico. In association with the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, we brought joy and a sense of ownership to refugee children in detention centers as well as families on their journey for asylum. With 1000 Spanish and […]
This is a suggested pre-meeting reading for August 15, 2018, noon, at the Austin Public Library Central location. Free, but please RSVP. To learn more or register, visit here: BookSpring Lunch & Learn Overview of Volunteerism in America Over 63 million people in the United States volunteer each year, says the advocacy group the Independent […]
by Christy Anderson The Number of Books at Home Impact a Child’s Educational Success It has long been asserted that parents’ education is the primary factor in predicting the future education level of a child. But in a long-term, worldwide study published in the journal Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, neither parents’ education nor […]
Literacy and Non-Profits Topics BookSpring held three Lunch and Learns are for people curious about early literacy, non-profits, and BookSpring’s programs and services. We joined together in an informal setting to consider and discuss a timely topic of interest. Meetings were held from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month from […]
BookSpring recommends that families explore reading together at home online. Digital children’s books can be a terrific online addition to a print library, if the e-books are simple (without lots of pop-up distractions) and if they are used to read together as a family. Our friends at Unite for Literacy have developed a fun and […]
By Jill Gonzalez, Associate Director Ready for School BookSpring’s Top 10 Back to School Read-Alouds It’s that time of year again! It’s time to head back to school, see old friends, and make some new ones. Whether your children are in preschool or elementary school, here are some books that we love for sharing the […]
by Emily Ball Cicchini, Executive Director This photo was taken at a lunchtime summer Go event at one of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin’s community centers. This young girl was so memorable to me, because she was so insistent that I read that one book, a counting book, over and over again. […]
As another school year ends so does the service of some outstanding board members. These individuals are deeply committed to sharing their love of reading with Central Texas. Please join us in offering a heartfelt thank you to Beth, Jan, and Jerry for their years of service! Though we are sad to see them go, […]
We are thrilled to be a recipient of the MAXIMUS Foundation grant! With this grant, we will give families in Central Texas an infusion of 20 books to kickstart their home libraries and promote the importance of reading together every day. “Making a deep and meaningful impact on a community is no easy feat, but […]
When we highlighted Luke Arney last year, we knew he was special. We are so glad he has received this additional community-wide recognition! Luke has dedicated himself to improving his community since he began high school when he first volunteered and collected books for BookSpring. The young philanthropist chose to advocate for literacy because he […]
BookSpring staff and partners have become accustomed to eagerly anticipating the second Thursday in May! Keller Williams Realty International (KWRI) is partnering with BookSpring for the fifth year in a row for their annual worldwide day of service, RED Day. RED Day, which stands for Renew, Energize and Donate, is a special day when Keller […]
Photo by: LenzMazter Studios Austin’s early literacy advocates step up to provide “Happily Ever After’s” for local children. Community and business leaders raised over $112,000 in support of BookSpring’s early literacy programs at the 6th Annual Storybook Heroes Luncheon on Friday, April 6, 2018, at the Renaissance Austin Hotel. Grammy nominee and “Musician with a Message” […]
By: Zachary Krakauer Ganz and Lydia Heisel In this digital age, some teens might not consider a book drive to be a “novel” idea. But for a group of five sophomores in Austin High School’s Global Studies program, BookSpring’s “20 books by 2020” challenge recently proved to be an inspiring and rewarding experience. Tasked with […]
By Amanda Shaver, Community Partner Manager Attracted by BookSpring’s 20 Books by 2020 campaign, particularly the statistic about children with 20 or more books in their homes going on to achieve three more years of schooling than children in bookless homes, the Boy Scouts of Pack 20, Den 4 decided to contribute to the campaign […]
Social science research shows a statistically significant correlation between the size of home libraries and children’s future academic success. According to Unite for Literacy’s book desert map, which analyzes variables including income, ethnicity, geography and languages, at least 70% US households have fewer than 20 children’s books in the home. 20 books at home is […]
Emily Ball Cicchini, PhD Executive Director Emily joined BookSpring in 2015 and is a strong believer in the long-term benefit of early childhood literacy and creativity interventions that encourage intrinsic motivation. She’s seen first-hand the positive impact of children’s exposure to self-selected stories and sensory-rich thematic materials. Emily shares BookSpring’s passion for access to books […]
