Since its establishment in 2008, Link to Libraries has been devoted to promoting early literacy and academic success within the Western Massachusetts community. It has already donated over 650,000 books to children, homes, and organizations in need.

Link to Libraries dedicates its time, resources, and programming to inspiring young readers—while promoting this academic development, this also sparks lifelong passions for imagination, communication, and literature. Further pursuing these goals, the local nonprofit organization recently partnered with other early literacy initiatives to participate in the Lectio Institute, a professional development program designed to strengthen community outreach and educational growth.

The Lectio Institute guides stakeholders through an intensive process focused on improving the quality and results of their early learning and literacy programming services. Reading Success by 4th Grade (RS4G) brought the Lectio Approach to the Springfield literacy ecosystem. RS4G invited community partners and literacy leaders with a footprint in the city to learn more about early literacy, improvement in science, and creating and refining the literacy landscape.

The Lectio Institute upholds that “it is critical that we, as a field, take on a new approach to promoting children’s early reading skills—one that ensures our efforts and that help our children reach their potential.”

Laurie Flynn, the President of Link to Libraries and the Lectio program leader, commented on the training’s valued opportunity for growth and collaboration to make a difference within the community. 

“It allowed us the time and space to use improvement science to really drill down and evaluate every aspect of each of our four major programs and to assess how we, as an organization, fit into the Springfield early literacy landscape,” said Flynn. “We never could have done an evaluation like this on our own.” 

The Lectio approach for programming is based on literacy data and research, resource capabilities, and collective outreach. Flynn acknowledged how the training gave insight into the organization’s future growth: “The Institute gave us a clear framework to work from and broke it all down in manageable chunks so that it didn't feel overwhelming.”

Link to Libraries promotes the research that “learning to read proficiently is a child's best chance for success in school and in life.” While it’s primary objective is distributing new books, they also have four major programs: Community Book Link, Read Aloud, Reading Any Place, and Celebrity Readers. These opportunities connect those in need with literary resources and toys, and collaborate with local celebrities or volunteers to read and share with children.

Through this participation and outreach, the community has access to not only books, but also opportunities. Link to Libraries, as well as RS4G and other local initiatives, are dedicated to promoting widespread literacy, while enhancing the education and lives of local families.

“The fact that we were on this journey with so many other organizations was invaluable. It was helpful to hear that we are all facing similar challenges and how others are addressing them,” said Flynn. “The institute fostered a sense of community, and I know for Link to Libraries, this will better enable us to seek out partnership opportunities.”

Link to Libraries is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to distribute new books to the school and home libraries of children in need throughout Western Massachusetts. https://www.linktolibraries.org Facebook: @LinktoLibraies

Reading Success by 4th Grade is a community-wide initiative to get all of Springfield’s kids reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade. Their projects bring people together to learn, share, and advocate for early literacy in Springfield, Massachusetts. www.readby4thgrade.com  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn: @ReadBy4thGrade

The Lectio Approach: Our mission is to unlock the power of our collective commitment to America’s youngest readers. We work to ensure that all children's literacy efforts and those they serve reach their potential, and that all stakeholders see the results and impacts they intended. www.lectioapproach.com