A reflection on another year of Books Are Wings in communities around Rhode Island, from our Executive Director, Jocelynn White
At Books Are Wings we believe the power of literacy transforms the lives of children, their families, and communities for the better. For over 20 years, BAW has been working on the ground in response to community needs and has become a leader in literacy here in Rhode Island. BAW is part of the RI Reads campaign, a partner with Rhode Island Resource Recovery, and listed as a community partner with over 100 schools and organizations from Woonsocket to Westerly. BAW’s programs encourage a long-term relationship between children and their books of choice. In 2019, we put more than 76,000 books in the hands of children through our programs.
From schools to parks to state offices we are working to ensure all children and families have access to books.In this New Year, Books Are Wings will be expanding our successful programs by adding new components. Children in school and summer programs will be given an engaged reader survey and self-efficacy report. These evaluations will be used to support children in seeing themselves as readers and guide programming to ensure children are being encouraged to engage in reading. The BAW parent literacy workshop sessions will kick off this spring, and new Book Spots will be built. These projects will help our communities define what being an engaged reader looks like, give parents tools, including reading methodology, book access, and resource awareness, to effectively support reading at home. These components will deepen our outreach and further develop a culture of literacy.
Also in 2020, our new van (generously supported by the Champlin Foundation) will be on the streets, new program components will begin, as well as some new and exciting partnerships. Books Are Wings is a true community program. Book Donors, Volunteers, and investors all play a critical role in success. We need you to continue our work. I hope to see you soon!
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