Children's Literacy Network

Program Overview

BUILDING HIGH QUALITY IMPACTFUL PROGRAMS FOR WASHTENAW COUNTY.

CLN, has 4 proven programs that support its mission: CLN's "Mothers and Babies" partners with St. Joseph Mercy Hospital to provide over 1,000 baby board books annually to low-income, at-risk teen moms. Recognizing that maternal bonding is critical in the newborn period, our program improves maternal/infant bonding while providing a base for the resources and guidance they need to build a strong foundation with their child in literacy and reading.

To reach Washtenaw County's most vulnerable children CLN partners with the WISD, Head Start and Early Head Start
for its Read To Kids Program which enhances and develops a bond between parent and child-centered around reading
and books. This distinctive program actively reaches out to work with parents to create engagements that promote early literacy skill building in the home, where prior to the intervention, none was present.

CLNREADS (Formerly Summer Book Program) Every Spring, students in high focus low-resource schools choose up to 8 high-quality books to take home, read and engage with throughout the summer months. CLNREADS has proven success in eradicating the "summer slide" in reading achievement and focuses on elementary schools in the 48918 area.

In 2018 CLN piloted an interactive reading website at Holmes Elementary, clnreads.com to partner with this program and actively keep students in grades 1-5 engaged with reading all summer long.

Staying In Closer Touch Program-This program gives incarcerated family members an opportunity to connect with their children while incarcerated through book readings and storytelling. Books and recordings of parents reading them are sent to their child who is being cared for by others during their incarceration. Studies show that participation in these storybook programs facilitates a love of reading in the child and motivates the parents to stay at home once he or she is released from prison.