BGCA’s Susan Ciavolino is back to share how one Club is making an impact on literacy in their community, and one little initiative to consider. “Take a look, it’s in a book…a reading rainbow!” Makes me smile to think of all the Reading Rainbow shows my family watched. Reading books together inspired so many adventures for us. My kids led the neighborhood on their own Lewis and Clark expeditions. Mr. Poppers Penguin’s had them dressing up as penguins and shuffling around the house. They even read spy novels and created Spy Guy movies that make us laugh to this day. All because we read a story that caught their imagination. It’s one of the most wonderful outcomes of learning to read and sharing stories together.

Getting books into the hands of children and families is an essential part of an strategy to build community literacy. Not only does research tell us that the single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school, but we know that the number of books in the home is as important as the parents’ education level in predicting a child’s academic performance. As a lover of books, it thrills me that just being around books directly impacts a child’s engagement in reading and learning. Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama has created the “Read, Learn, Achieve Initiative” to address the low reading proficiency and the lack of interest in reading for fun in their community. I chatted with Rosa Monteiro, Director of Academic Success, about the work she is leading at their organization. They have an approach to literacy that targets this exact thing: getting more books into the hands of youth and families. Back in 2019, Rosa led the establishment of the Gulf Coast Children’s Book Festival, created by BGC of South Alabama, where over 4000 youth visited it the first year. School leadership, former colleagues, and other community groups rallied to support this unique event. School groups and families were able to meet authors, listen to stories all day, and get books of their own to take home. The book festival grew out of the Blue Roof Reading Spot initiative, which allowed the Club to partner with local businesses to set up book displays in barbershops, doctor’s offices, courthouses—any place families might need to wait. Youth primarily read those books onsite and they were even able to read them aloud to a reading buddy, who might be another person waiting or the barber cutting their hair. And they aren’t done yet! BGC of South Alabama also has their own version of Little Free Libraries–it’s called the Blue Roof Library Trail, with over 30 small libraries all over Mobile, Al. “We call Ms. Rosa our own Bob the Builder. She has designed her own Library plans and cuts all the wood and prepares the materials so that groups are able to build and decorate them for themselves,” explained Tim Wills, CEO of BGC of South Alabama. Rosa described the partnerships: “It’s a great community project. We let the company or organization that is sponsoring it decide how they want to decorate it, so they feel a sense of ownership.” A local TV station hosted a build event where they created 10 of the library structures. This inspired the Director of Community Engagement at the University of South Alabama to sponsor a build day for the MLK holiday where they built another 11! The Blue Roof Libraries are spread all over parks, schools, neighborhoods, and (of course!) Clubs in the region. It’s a trail of libraries, so there is a map to follow! And it’s interactive so everyone can see where they are and community partners can even see where they could add one.