Statements

Mission

Nashville Book Connection (NBC) connects kids with books they love to nurture their identities as readers--at home and in the classroom.

NBC nurtures reader identities as students uncover a sense of pride, passion, and excitement around reading, book ownership, and shared experiences. Our intentionally-curated books offer windows and mirrors for our K-5th graders to feel seen and see others.

Through our partnerships with local elementary schools in under-served communities, NBC targets individual student literacy needs by growing home libraries full of meaningful, intentionally chosen, diverse books in under-served communities.

Background

Our approach is personalized, collaborative, student-centered and data-driven. We value student agency, access to new, meaningful books and understanding student interest and needs as cornerstones for developing readers. When our team helps students voice their reading interests and needs, we see growth and positive connections in how they see themselves as readers.

Impact

PAST YEAR'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
1. We have sent NEARLY 6600 NEW & DIVERSE BOOKS WITH OVER 750 K-5 STUDENTS - Since the Fall 2019, NBC has sent nearly 5300 new, meaningful, intentionally-chosen books home with over 750 K-5th grade students. Superhero books. Feelings books. Books on identity and families. Books about friendship. Biographies. Nonfiction books about space and animals. Funny books. Early readers. Graphic novels. Picture books. Chapter books. Books that offer windows and mirrors and sliding doors to our young readers. Books that our young readers are excited to read.

2. We have SEEN GROWTH AND POSITIVE CONNECTIONS IN HOW OUR STUDENTS SEE THEMSELVES AS READERS. Our team works hard to match young readers with books "right" for them. Participating in our programs allows students to:
-Feel seen and represented in literature
-Deepen their understanding of themselves and others
-Grow their home libraries
-Develop a love of reading

When our team helps students voice their reading interests and needs, we see growth and positive connections in how they see themselves as readers.
Our numbers do not tell the entire NBC story. Our students and families, our partnering teachers and school leaders, they're the ones who best demonstrate the impact NBC has had.

"NBC volunteers get to know students so they can match them with a book-that doesn't happen anywhere else in what we do [at school] because we don't have the time. NBC is providing the book AND providing the opportunity for choice and voice. That makes a big difference with kids because not many of our kids have someone in their life that they can sit down with and talk to about reading." - Instructional Specialist, MNPS

"Teachers are not able to know the reading interests of their students in ways they would like, even though we know how important it is for literacy achievement. [Our curriculum] utilizes teachers' entire literacy block, and there is no time left for guided reading or small group literacy instruction….NBC is different from other reading initiatives because it supplements and supports the work of teachers. The program works to build reader identity in ways that we cannot due to lack of time and too many initiatives in place." - Kindergarten Teacher, MNPS

"To have a diverse collection [of books] that they can see themselves in I think has made a huge difference in them… they want to read. To see them wanting to read is like, "Yes, we are making strides." - Dean of Students, MNPS

"By you saying, 'There's not enough of this book now but [we] will bring it next week,' you are changing the entire perspective of them not believing people and you following through….You are changing the way they see books because you are keeping your word." -Kindergarten Teacher, MNPS


GOALS FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR

1. NBC is growing its capacity to serve more students and schools. As we EXPAND AND DEEPEN OUR REACH this year, NBC plans to serve, at least:
-500 K-5th graders.
-30 teachers' classrooms.
-2 elementary schools in MNPS.

2. Additionally, we will ENHANCE OUR OPERATIONAL GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY. We will:
-Grow our revenue.
-Hire staff.
-Grow the number of community partners.

3. We will also CODIFY OUR PRACTICES AND IMPROVE HOW WE MEASURE SUCCESS. Building upon our current qualitative data collection, we will:
-Measure the effectiveness of our program through stronger quantitative tools.
-Document our processes and operations.
-Share our methodology and results.

Needs

After working to meet the diverse literacy needs of hundreds of Nashville's youngest students, we've learned just how deep our impact has been. We're eager to expand our work and grow our reach to more schools, more teachers and more students.

NEED #1: Funding for Part-Time Employee ($9,000)
As we work toward our goals (EXPANDING AND DEEPENING OUR REACH and ENHANCING OUR OPERATIONAL GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY), we need to grow our team. NBC has been 100% volunteer-based since 2019, and while this model has allowed us to prove the important depth of our work, it has limited NBC's reach. In order to move forward and serve more students, NBC must have paid personnel.

NBC's part-time position responsibilities include:
-Serving as school-site coordinator on NBC Days;
-Leading volunteer training sessions;
-Fulfilling student and teacher book requests;

NEED #2: Funding for Additional School Partnership ($10,950)
Since 2019, NBC's budget has supported a single school partnership per year. Past partnerships include Carter Lawrence Elementary, Warner Arts Elementary & Fall-Hamilton. Now that NBC has demonstrated its unique approach to impacting literacy in Nashville, it's time to serve more students. This funding request will support NBC's expansion to an additional partner school.

Board Chair Statement

In the time I have served as Board Chair of Nashville Book Connection, I can honestly say that every single interaction in this organization has been filled with inspiration and optimism. Be it zoom calls internally or being face to face with the smile of a first grader holding the exact right book, there is a feeling of excitement, of promise. From the very beginning, the spark of an idea about improving this world through evidence-based interactions and book ownership gained traction. The very existence of NBC is itself a success, as the germ of an idea quickly grew into a functional model, a working program, and a highly motivated board of directors, our struggle through normal non-profit start up pains was immediately hampered by the Covid pandemic. I am incredibly proud of how our small organization was able to pivot and adapt while remaining true to our mission of connecting kids with books they love, providing consistency and connection in a time when they were most needed. A strong sign of our current success is our intentionality in seeking out and forming community partnerships (local schools and businesses as well as the children's literacy community at the city, state, and national level). We have had several cycles of our program in elementary schools and the feedback from administration, teachers, and especially students has been excellent. We are gaining traction as an established and credible organization and are seeing individual donors and grant funding continue to increase.

Our biggest challenge is maybe having hearts bigger than our bank account, frustration that our desire to connect more children to the world of reading is hampered by limitations of time, funding, and humanpower. This frustration is fueling the board to strategically plan and attack the coming years to maximize capacity and ultimately the number of children who are interested and motivated to read.

My personal reading journey began before I have memories, as my parents prioritized reading aloud, making books accessible, encouraging and modeling reading as important and entertaining. I do recall staying up with a flashlight under covers, sneaking in a few more chapters. Reading features prominently in my adult life and as my children came on the scene, it was an utmost priority to equip the nursery with books, go to the library, and connect with books. Some of my fondest moments of their childhoods have been reading together and sharing stories. As a pediatric health provider, I know the impact that language and literacy have on growing brains, and as a parent I see the benefits of expanding your world through reading. It is my profound belief that every child should have the opportunity to learn, discover, grow, and connect to humanity through books. Nashville Book Connection is committed to making this happen.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Education  - Libraries
Secondary Category:	Education  - Educational Services
Tertiary Category:	Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Arts & Culture

Areas Served

TN - Davidson