WATERBURY CENTER — The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF)’s Year of the Book grant program invites elementary school to apply for funding for the 2019-2020 school year. The grant provides selected elementary schools with $25,000 in literacy programming and new books, including author visits and writing workshops with the 64 professional presenters CLiF works with, family literacy events, special literacy-related programs, new books for the school library, classrooms, local public library, and ten new books for each child to choose. 
The program involves a full school year dedicated to improving literacy with many related events to celebrate reading and writing. The program is designed to create a culture of literacy within a community. It aims to inspire students to read and write for pleasure, to encourage enthusiasm for books, to supplement schools’ existing literacy efforts, to ensure all children have access to high-quality books, and to increase family engagement in literacy.
In addition to the grant program for the 2019-2020 school year, personnel from selected Year of the Book schools will be invited in perpetuity to CLiF’s free annual Community Literacy Conference and will receive additional funding in the year following their program to maintain literacy momentum.
CLiF Program Director Meredith Scott says, “CLiF Year of the Book continues to deeply impact students, their families, and their school community by nurturing a love of reading and writing. The renewed excitement that comes from new ideas, new books, and new connections makes this an exciting grant for schools and also for CLiF. We love to share the experiences in one school with others and to spread that enthusiasm all over VT and NH and beyond.”
Applications for the 2019-2020 school year are available at clifonline.org. Applications are due by Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. Contact CLif at clifonline.org with any questions.