Budget
$280,000.00
Description
In 2021, GELF launched the Statewide Early Literacy Education Collaborative of Tennessee (SELECT) to bring together Tennessee's childcare centers, non-profits, schools, teachers, caregivers, and other stakeholders as partners focused on improving early literacy outcomes in Tennessee. It is aimed at giving early literacy service providers the support they need to effectively serve the children in their communities. SELECT is fostering learning, connection, and visibility for collaborative partners through a Tennessee Early Literacy Landscape (TELL) analysis, statewide and regional convenings/conferences, and digital/communications resources. SELECT's vision is a Tennessee where all children have equitable access to resources and opportunities to become confident readers, critical thinkers, and lifelong learners.
Program Successes
SELECT started in 2021, bringing together fifteen early literacy leaders from across Tennessee. In 2022, GELF identified and connected with 80 organizations as SELECT Partners, representing 79 Tennessee counties. 46 people from 29 organizations attended the annual convening.

In 2023, SELECT continued its trajectory of growth, increasing the number of SELECT Partners to 123 organizations, 300 individuals, representing 81 Tennessee counties (85%). GELF aims to maintain this trajectory until we have reasonable confidence that all early literacy efforts in Tennessee have been identified and enrolled as SELECT Partners.

108 individuals from 62 organizations attended the 2023 annual statewide convening. The event offered eight breakout sessions; a nationally recognized keynote speaker; brainstorming sessions; networking opportunities; and main stage events covering topics such as bold leadership and the science of reading.
Beneficiaries
Families
Adults
Children and Youth (0 - 19 years)
Program Success Monitored By
GELF and the assesses the progress of the initiative through:
• Number of organizations involved (new and retained)
• Number of individual participants involved (new and retained)
• Number of surveys completed
• Number of partner interviews conducted
• Number of people attending the annual statewide convening
• Number of people attending regional convenings
• Feedback received in post-event surveys
• Feedback received from external stakeholders, including legislators, funders, educators, TDOE representatives, and other advocates
• Percentage of counties represented in SELECT's partner membership (currently 85%)
• Number/Quality of partnerships developed/early literacy services grown as a result of SELECT

Program Areas Served
Childcare centers, early literacy/childhood non-profits, schools, teachers, caregivers, and other stakeholders across Tennessee

Budget
$7,900,000.00
Description
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program mails one new, age-appropriate, high-quality book every month to registered children from birth until age five (up to 60 books) - at no cost to families. A committee of early childhood education experts selects the books, which include such beloved classics as The Little Engine That Could, The Snowy Day, and Madeline. In 2004, the non-partisan, not-for-profit Governor's Books from Birth (now Governor's Early Literacy Foundation) was created to serve as a catalyst and tangible resource to Tennesseans, establishing and sustaining county Imagination Library affiliates. Initially charged with conducting the Imagination Library statewide roll-out, raising statewide funds, and training volunteers, GELF now serves Imagination Library organizers by providing fundraising, public relations, strategic communications, and other modes of support. All of Tennessee's under age five children are eligible to enroll into the program.
Program Successes
Governor's Early Literacy Foundation, in partnership with the Dollywood Foundation and local Imagination Library affiliates, aims to bring Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (DPIL) program to as many children as possible, inspiring a love of reading and building home libraries in every Tennessee family's home. In 2021, the program reached its highest enrollment point - with 70% of Tennessee's birth-5 population enrolled. The program currently serves approx. 286K children annually and has delivered 52.8M+ books. Feedback from caregivers reflect the program's impact:

"My oldest daughter is now 13, and I struggled as a parent when she was younger because I didn't like reading. She loves to read and every night, we would have daddy daughter time and read her Imagination Library books. This program provided special bonding moments for us and made me have a different outlook on reading as an adult. She's now in 8th grade, reading above grade level and taking honors classes."- DPIL Parent

Beneficiaries
Infants and Toddlers
Families
Program Success Monitored By
To evaluate the major impacts of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in Tennessee, GELF hired an independent education researcher in 2014 to complete a meta-analysis study. The study showed that participating children outscored their non-participating peers in reading readiness evaluations pre-kindergarten and into the 3rd grade. It also found that families receiving these books read together more often and children were more eager to learn to read.
Program Areas Served
All 95 Counties in Tennessee

Budget
$2,650,000.00
Description
In 2020, Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) launched its Caregiver Engagement program, providing resources for families to help their children develop early literacy skills through reading and learning together. The program includes an initiative - in partnership with Ready4K and the Tennessee Department of Education - that sends educational texts directly to caregivers, encouraging them to be deeply engaged in their child's learning. Each enrolled caregiver receives three texts each week, focused on knowledge-building, tips, and learning activities they can do with their child throughout the week.
Program Successes
Over the three years since its launch, the Caregiver Engagement program has consistently developed and grown. In 2023, the Ready4K texting initiative served approx. 200K individual caregivers (benefiting around 230K children). Feedback from caregivers has been overwhelmingly positive:

• "[The texts] are quick to read, easy to understand, and give me something small to incorporate into our busy lives! For this working mom, that is all a win-win in my book!"
• "I appreciate the encouragement and timing; I don't have to wait for someone else to teach; I can take the initiative to teach and gain satisfaction by sitting back and thinking, "I taught him that!"
• 79% of caregivers reported doing at least one Ready4K activity per week
• 89% of caregivers said that Ready4K activities helped children grow their literacy skills
• 88% of caregivers experienced an increase in their confidence to support their children's learning because of the program

Beneficiaries
Families
Children and Youth (0 - 19 years)
K-12 (5-19 years)
Program Areas Served
Tennessee Families Statewide with Children from Birth to 5th Grade

Budget
$7,000,000.00
Description
In Summer 2020, Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) launched its K-3 Summer Reading pilot program. In partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education, the program provided approx. 35,000 students with six quality books to prevent summer reading loss and support student learning in the home. The program met with incredible community support, quickly growing to become one of GELF's key programs and, in 2021, became the first statewide book delivery program for K-3 students in the nation

Now named K-3 Home Libraries, the program directly responds to University of Tennessee research that shows reading 4-6 books over the summer can stop summer slide. The program mails six books and other literacy tools directly to the homes of K-3rd grade students and teachers every summer. Access is simple - families don't have to sign up, their children automatically receive the books if they are enrolled in a participating school district and books are free to both families and schools.
Program Successes
The K-3 Home Library program is informed by research and designed to respond to pressing early literacy needs in Tennessee - including the low reading proficiency rates of Tennessee 3rd graders (only 35% of Tennessee's 3rd graders read proficiently, as of 2022). In 2024, the program is expected to serve approximately 250K students and teachers across Tennessee. Feedback from recipient teachers reflects the program's impact on the communities it serves:

"Many of our students do not have access to good books outside of school. This is one of the most beneficial initiatives for increasing literacy that I have witnessed as an educator." - Jefferson County Teacher


Beneficiaries
Families
K-12 (5-19 years)
Program Success Monitored By
When GELF rolled out the K-3 Home Libraries pilot program in 2020, it immediately invested in an independent research study, conducted in partnership with Lipscomb University, to evaluate the program's effectiveness.

While results of the study were significantly influenced by COVID-19, it found that students' reading motivation improved during the program as evidenced by a statistically significant increase in their responses on a Reading Motivation Questionnaire (RMQ) from fall 2020 to fall 2021.

Additionally, the study found that teacher's perceptions of the program is that it:
• Provided students with high-interest books and increased some students' reading motivation, value of reading, and self-concept as readers.
• Increased student motivation to read because students took pride in the books being their own and because the books were high-quality and of high interest to the students.
Program Areas Served
All 95 Counties in Tennessee

Budget
$85,000.00
Description
Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) launched its Book Bus program in 2018 to provide children with easy access to high-quality books and literacy resources. GELF partners with Tennessee school districts and non-profit organizations to establish the Book Buses that travel directly to neighborhoods and events, bringing resources, books, and learning spaces to children and families.

Many of the Book Buses GELF has launched are focused on serving children in areas that face challenges to accessing books, such as library deserts, low-income communities, or rural areas where transportation to a bookstore or library is difficult. Some Book Buses operate year-round, while others prioritize service over the summer, working to prevent summer learning loss in students. Many Book Buses also partner with organizations offering additional services, such as food banks that provide meals or health care providers offering quick checkups-a unique opportunity to offer wrap-around services.
Program Successes
Since its launch, the Book Bus program has greatly expanded, growing from seven buses in Northeast Tennessee in 2018 to forty across the state in 2024. Collectively, these buses serve over 75,000 participants each year, providing books, literacy resources, reading programs, and other services to children of all ages. Feedback from teachers, parents, and students have reinforced the program's importance:

• "I can't even describe the excitement of my students when they climbed onto the book bus! They just couldn't wait to pick out a book for them to take home and read. We are thankful for this opportunity to put books into the hands of our students." - Wilson County Teacher
• "My daughters have been wanting to come to the bus all summer. When we saw you parked at the Parks and Rec building as we passed by, my girls started screaming, "There's the book bus! Stop mom, stop!" Getting books from the book bus has been a highlight of their summer." - Carter County Mother
Beneficiaries
Families
Children and Youth (0 - 19 years)
K-12 (5-19 years)
Program Success Monitored By
GELF is proactively working to analyze the reach and effectiveness of the Book Bus program, establishing reporting processes for Book Bus partners and launching a case study in 2021.

Using aggregate annual averages, each book bus:
• Serves 1,900 children
• Travels 600 miles
• Distributes 2,100 books

Preliminary data from Book Bus program research efforts indicates the program is making a difference for children. The Lebanon Special School District conducted analysis showing that students who visited their book bus 3x or more showed a 3.37% average increase in their Reading Universal Screener national percentile ranking from the end of the 2021-2022 school year to the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year. In contrast, students in the same district that did not participate in the Book Bus program had an average decrease of 0.07% in the Reading Universal Screener national percentile from the end of the 2021-2022 school year to the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year.
Program Areas Served
Communities throughout Tennessee, Focus on high-needs and underserved neighborhoods

Budget
$35,000.00
Description
In July 2018, Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) launched its Storybook Trail program to create outdoor reading experiences for children and families, connecting literacy with a healthy, outdoor activity. Through this program, GELF partners with Tennessee State Parks Conservancy, city parks, and other organizations to provide a children's storybook, presented on child-height panels, along a short trail to promote adult-child interaction around books and nature. The trails feature reading tips on each page panel to bring the book to life with the surrounding nature. The trails easily demonstrate to children that reading is everywhere, and not something to be restricted to the library, home, or classroom.
Program Successes
Since beginning with seven Trails in 2018, the Storybook Trails program has quickly expanded and now includes 59 trails across Tennessee. The trails engage hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Feedback about the trails show that they make a difference for children and families:

"My girls love Storybook Trails! We love reading and the outdoors, so it's a perfect activity for our family. It's a great way to read a story and burn off a little energy at the same time. I also really appreciate that it's something that both my 4 year old and my 1.5 year old can enjoy." - Parent
"The Storybook Trail program allows for dialogic reading in which the caregiver interacts with the child throughout the reading process, leading to a better comprehension of the content of the book" -Student Researcher

Category
Education  -  
Beneficiaries
Families
Children and Youth (0 - 19 years)
Program Areas Served
Tennessee