Grant Application for
PoWeR! Book Bags
Mission Statement:
The mission of PoWeR! Book Bags is to increase children's experiences with language, literacy and human interactions so they are better able to understand themselves, communicate with others and connect with the world.
Fiscal agent if applicant is not tax exempt:
Tax ID Number:
81-2406342
Contact First Name:
Contact Last Name:
Kara
Gregory
Address:
PO Box 533, Suttons Bay MI 49682
Email:
Phone Number:
231-343-0255
Website:
Project Name:
PoWer! Book Bags in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties
Project start and end dates:
January 2, 2022
January 1, 2023
Amount Requested:
$
4000
Project Description:
PoWeR! Books Bags (PBB) will provide an ongoing supply of new, high quality, age appropriate books and book bags filled with literacy materials to low-income families in Charlevoix and Emmet County through our partner agencies Women’s Resource Center and Health Department of Northwest Michigan programs including WIC (Women, Infant, and Children Special Supplemental Nutrition), MIHP (Maternal Infant Health) and immunization clinics.
PoWeR! is an acronym for Play, Write and Read. As children Play and Write and Read, they engage in human interaction and build language and literacy skills that help pave a road to life success that begins with school readiness, educational success and eventually economic stability.
Children receiving PBB materials are able to choose new book to keep. Choice is important! When children choose a book, they are more likely to read and reread it. Choice and making decisions for one’s self also helps develop positive self-esteem.
Goal of the Project
How many people will you reach?
1225
What percentage are female?
50
If your program serves both males and females, how will Hestia funds specifically target women and girls?
All PoWeR! Book Bags program include women and children both female and male. All funding received from Hestia Women's Giving Circle would be directed to support two programs in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties that focus on women and their children: Women's Resource Center and the Health Department. The cost of these programs is $37,000 annually.
Women's Resource Center serves women impacted by domestic and sexual violence. I’m excited to report that our partnership with WRC has expanded since last year. In addition to the books and bags given to children visiting WRC for crisis care, PBB is also providing materials for WRC play groups and their summer camps! PBB serves 225 children at WRC.
Our partnership with the Health Dept has also grown. In addition to serving mothers and their children through WIC, we are providing materials for MIHP and immunization clinics. MIHP is a home based one-on-one service for expecting moms and moms with infants. Health care professionals visit moms and their children up to 24 months following birth offering instruction and modeling for a variety of life and child development skills. WIC enrollees receive 8-10 books per year, MIHP children receive 1 book per month.
How are recipients identified or selected to receive services? Is financial need considered?
Because language development begins at birth, PBB seeks to begin relationships with mothers and their children as early as possible. Research shows a correlation between income, the amount of print material in a home and reading proficiency. A word gap and an education equity gap exists between children from print 'rich' environments (homes with lots of reading and writing supplies) and those from print ‘poor’ environments. Children from print rich homes enter school with a larger, more developed vocabulary than those from homes absent of print materials. Because of this, our focus is on low-income families. A mother struggling to provide shelter and food does not have resources for tools (books, crayons, paper) critical for language development. By partnering with organizations that serve low-income women, we increase access to print material in their homes, empowering women to help build language and literacy abilities in their children and close the word and education equity gap!
What do you hope to achieve? What difference will this make in the lives of women and girls?
How will this project meet Hestia's mission statement?
PBB will increase access to print materials in the homes of low-income families. Research indicates after 3rd grade, children read to learn rather than learn to read. In 2021, over 40% of 3rd graders in Char-Em failed the M-STEP, an exam that measures reading proficiency. This data shows a huge deficit in a basic skill necessary for life success.
Greater exposure to language AND increasing the number of books a child owns are two proven ways to build vocabulary and impact school readiness. Literacy materials in the home will increase a mother’s interactions with her child and help create an environment that encourages literacy and motivates them to read and write.
Many things influence learning but data shows children who are reading proficient in 3rd grade are more likely to succeed in school and are more likely to graduate from high school and experience long-term financial security. Families Playing, Writing and Reading together creates a culture of learning that is passed down. Promoting the economic security and well-being of women and girls is the mission of Hestia. What better way to meet that mission than helping mothers lay the foundation for a lifetime of reading and learning for their child!
How will you evaluate or measure your success:
One way PBB measures success is tallying the number of books and literacy materials we distribute. Research shows owning as few as 100 books positively impacts a child’s educational success. It is difficult to track books per child at Women’s Resource Center but at the Health Dept, a child enrolled in MIHP at birth and then WIC until they age out at 5 years old will, with Hestia’s assistance, receive a minimum of 50 books plus a continuous flow of materials for writing and play before they enter kindergarten. That’s an average of 10-12 books per year!
We also measure success based on feedback from women and children who receive literacy supplies and the agencies who distribute them. Invitations from sites to continue or expand our work demonstrate the positive impact in the community.
Grant Project Budget Form
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