Burlington School District gets literacy grant
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - The Burlington School District is getting funding to help Vermont students get access to more reading materials in school.
The district received the Children’s Literacy Foundation “Year of the Book” grant once again this year.
The $25,000 grant will go directly to Edmunds Elementary School. It’s one of 11 schools selected across Vermont and New Hampshire.
Other schools in the district have received the grant in years past and staff say they saw how greatly it benefitted students.
Staff at Edmunds say they’re thankful, noting how important these resources are in closing the achievement gap in public schools.
“These are the types of things that make a lasting difference and if we don’t get these books to kids now, then their chances later on definitely decrease,” said Erin Webster, a reading and math specialist at Edmunds Elementary. “So we really appreciate that there are organizations out there working just as hard as we are.”
“Some students go home to no books, other students have lots of books. Through the library, we encourage them to read but we can only do so much for them and so it’s so important for them to have their own books and for us to get books into their hands,” librarian Kathy Neil said.
The money at Edmunds will be used to get kids books of their own, diversify and beef up the library selection, bring in authors, hold writing workshops and get the community involved.
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