Nine Columbia County nonprofits were awarded $20,000 in grants to support early childhood literacy. Recognizing that the first years of life are the most critical for learning and development, BTCF helped launch the Early Literacy and Learning Network (ELLN) in 2016 to ensure that more children in Columbia County have the opportunity to reach their full potential. This partnership of nonprofit, education and government leaders is supporting parents through education and services, helping organizations collaborate and gain capacity to meet demand, and driving a countywide effort to communicate the urgency of early literacy. BTCF has awarded nearly $750,000 to support early childhood literacy in Columbia County since 2016.

Grants were awarded to these organizations:

• Chatham Public Library: for the “Leamos Bilingual Spanish English Story Time” that will provide 17 sessions of a Bilingual Storytime entitled "Leamos!" (Let's Read!) with a professional Spanish speaking facilitator. Funds will also be used to continue to develop the children's bilingual Spanish-English book collection.
• Claverack Free Library: for 40 sessions of “Baby and Me Story Time” for new parents with infants.
• Columbia Childrens Center: for the Purchase of a Pre-K Curriculum with a focus on language and literacy.
• Columbia Greene Community College Day Care: to expand and enhance the day care library programs to include book distribution, new literacy materials and activities.
• Columbia Opportunities, Inc: to develop strategies to share with parents the specific information that children have learned and to help parents learn more about utilizing the investigative process as a means of supporting children in learning.
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties:
  for Early Literacy Education with 40 families one-on-one through the “Parenting with Confidence” program.
• Family Resource Centers of Columbia County: for staff training in early literacy and to purchase early literacy manipulatives.
• Hudson Area Association Library: for 180 Take-Home Early Literacy Kits for children ages birth through five in Spanish and English. The kits include a carefully curated selection of books, arts and craft activities designed to promote early literacy skills in an interactive and fun manner.
• Roeliff Jansen Community Library: for Summer Reading Outreach to sponsor programs that encourage learning all summer long for preschoolers and early elementary school students, at the library and around the community.

Emily Bronson, Senior Community Engagement Officer for Initiatives & Special Projects at Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation says, "We are grateful to the organizations in Columbia County focusing on early literacy. This support will create literacy-rich opportunities that will positively impact the lives of young children and families in this region."

Learn More About Our Educational Attainment Initiatives