Programs

CLN’s Mothers and Babies partners with St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Washtenaw Literacy and Family Services of Ypsilanti to increase maternal bonding and model reading interactions. CLN provides 2,000 baby board books and sibling books annually through this program.

“I never knew a two-month old would listen to a book! My baby seems to actually look at the pictures!”
– New mother who received books

To reach Washtenaw County’s most vulnerable children CLN partners with WISD, Head Start and Early Head Start for it’s Read to Kids Program. Parents earn free books for the whole family by reading aloud with their children ten times each month. CLN distributes 3000+ books annually through this longtime reading incentive program. Check out our Wish List of quality books for early childhood.

“My students can’t wait for the beginning of the month book deliveries. And taking home books for their siblings is a big deal for many of them. This program is great!”
-Head Start teacher

This program takes place at three correctional facilities in Washtenaw County. Volunteers work one-on-one with incarcerated parents to read a book aloud and make a voice recording. The parent’s children then receive a CD of the recording, a copy of the book, and a greeting card. In this way, books help a family “stay in closer touch”.

“This program is much more than books. It is an important connection with your loved ones. Even if you are not home with them, this give them a part of you.”
-SICT Parent

CLNReads (formerly Summer Book Program) provides Washtenaw County students in low-resource elementary schools with up to 8 books of their choosing to take home, read and engage with throughout the summer months. In 2018 CLN piloted an interactive reading website, clnreads.com, to support students in grades 1-5 and with reading all summer long!

“Few interventions hold such promise for narrowing the growing reading achievement gap between low- and high-socioeconomic-status students.”
-Dr. Nell Duke, Professor of Language, Literacy, and Culture at the University of Michigan

In a partnership with the Junior League of Ann Arbor, FLIP events are curriculum-based fun nights that take place at local elementary schools and Head Start preschools where students and parents move through stations and work together on fun literacy-based activities.

Built on the well-known concept of “pen pals,” the BookPALS program targets reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Second graders will be paired with peers from nearby communities who have compatible reading levels and interests. Each month a “BookPAL” picks a book, records themselves reading on a tablet, and answers questions about themselves. The books and tablets are delivered to the paired school and the whole process is repeated. Over the year, the pals’ friendships and home libraries grow, along with their love of reading. At the end of the year, the BookPALS from all schools take a field trip and gather together for a celebration day where everyone meets in person, participates in a final book reading/exchange, and enjoys fun activities together.