Indianapolis Library Lands $1 Million for Early Literacy
By SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 9/18/2009
Nearly 2,600 preschoolers in Indianapolis will get a head start in reading each year, thanks to a $1 million gift to the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library to expand its “Ready to Read” early childhood literacy initiative.
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Indiana Pacers co-owner Herbert Simon donated $1 million to the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. |
The donation by the Herbert Simon Family Foundation will allow the library system to quadruple the number of children in licensed, home-based daycare centers who receive book deliveries and listen to story time programs monthly. Home daycare providers also will learn how to more effectively engage young people in stories and use books to enhance children’s early literacy skills.
The library also plans to develop more programming for early learners and their caregivers within branch libraries, provide new child-friendly computers equipped with educational software, dedicate a new early learning Web site for children and caregivers, and increase staff training and program evaluation.
“We are grateful for the Herbert Simon Family Foundation’s support,” says Danny Dean, president of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation. “A respected community leader, Mr. Simon is also an avid reader. We are honored he chose to share his enthusiasm for reading with the children of Indianapolis through a gift to the Library Foundation.”
Implementation of the newest early literacy efforts will begin in 2010, with installation of related technology continuing in 2011 and 2012.
“I am pleased to partner with the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library on this special project,” says Simon. “As a book lover, it is gratifying to share my love of reading with our city’s next generation. For thousands of children, this gift will cultivate early literacy skills and passion for learning, ultimately preparing them for long-term academic and professional success.”
The grant will enable the library to carry out a top priority in its five-year strategic plan called “Leading a Learning Community,” which calls for a greater focus on childhood literacy and school readiness.
