Children's Literacy Network

Meet Nadia! 🌟 A legal scholar from Aotearoa, New Zealand, Nadia serves as one of CLN's incredible volunteers supporting BOTH our In-person and Virtual BookPALS programs. "I came to Ann Arbor for Michigan Law's doctoral program. I was looking for a way to get involved in the local community and the Children's Literacy Network looked like a great fit. Beyond the joy and solace that reading brings, I am often reminded in my research of how a person's language skills impact their quality of access to justice and ability to participate in democratic processes." We're so grateful for Nadia, her enthusiasm, and all our volunteers who make this work possible.

Visit www.bit.ly/4eumrKx to fill out our volunteer interest form, or email our Program Manager ([email protected]) for more information!

🌌 A stellar thank you to the incredible volunteer groups who helped our FLIP Night at Pittsfield Elementary shine brighter than the stars! 🌠
Groups like Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Beta Eta Chapter; U-M Books for a Benefit; U-M BBA students; & Order of the Eastern Star are proving that, with community power, the sky is not the limit—it’s just the beginning. 💫

Grateful for UMCU’s support this Giving Tuesday! 💙 Partnerships like this remind us what’s possible when local organizations come together. Thank you, UMCU, for supporting children’s literacy and helping strengthen our community through the power of reading. ✨

This Giving Tuesday, we’re celebrating the incredible work of the Children's Literacy Network, our 2025 Shop Local Give Local charity partner. CLN provides free literacy programs, books, and family resources to help children across Washtenaw County build the confidence and joy that comes from reading. From Nov. 18–Jan. 31, every time members use their UMCU Visa credit card at participating local businesses, we’ll donate 1% of total sales (up to $5,000) to support CLN’s mission. Plus, five members will win $1,000 just for shopping local. Give back. Lift up readers. Strengthen our community, one purchase at a time. Learn more at umcu.org or the link in our bio.

Together, we’re unlocking futures. 🔓🗝️✨

📢 Donate, share this post, tell a friend. 📢
Help us reach our goal of $20,000 by December 31st! All donations directly fuel our literacy programming, providing young readers with the key—the books, mentors, and encouragement—they need to flourish.

Make a donation through the link in our bio! Or through the URL on the last slide. Or mail a check to the address on the last slide. 🤗📩

DM us or email [email protected] with any questions!

Are you in a book club?

This holiday season we are looking for book clubs local to A2/Washtenaw County that would be interested in participating in a 90's style "Book It!" peer-to-peer fundraising challenge...

The basics are:

1. Your book club (or friend group! or family!) signs up!

2. We help you set up a fundraising page (takes about ~20 minutes)!

3. You get EVERYTHING you need to fundraise including letters to put in the mail w/ postage, email/social media templates, sticker charts to track your progress, some fun 90s themed buttons/stickers to thank you for participating, and an invitation to an in-person kick-off if you want to be in wider in-person community!

4. As you reach fundraising milestones you get cool literacy/book themed merch just like in Book It! (think totes, dad hats, crewnecks, etc.) (want to see some examples? I'll put them in the comments...)

5. Any clubs that reach the $2,000 goal are invited to a 90s themed pizza party to celebrate in January! No personal pan pizzas sadly...but weren't those the days?

Link to sign-up for more info in comments!

See what we mean about Kara being amazing?

Washtenaw United: Closing the reading gap in Washtenaw County You’ve heard of the wage and income gap that exists in Washtenaw County. There is also a divide in reading levels. The Ann Arbor-based Children’s Literacy Network is working to close the reading gap. WEMU's David Fair spoke with program manager Kara Woodard about those efforts and how to help ke...

✨ Giving Tuesday + Cozy Corners ✨

This , we’re raising $2,000 to support our in-school literacy programming — and every dollar will be doubled thanks to a generous match! 📚💛

Funds raised will help Children’s Literacy Network connect young readers across Southeast Michigan with the books, mentors, and encouragement they need to grow into readers for life.

And in the spirit of giving back, CLN staff, board, and donors will also be creating Cozy Corners — gifting reading supplies and comfort items to make classrooms even more inviting for the students we serve. 🧣☕️📖

Join us in fueling literacy and adding a little extra cozy this season.

👉 Donate, share, and follow along between now and 12/2 as we celebrate the classrooms and teachers who make reading come alive!

Link to donate in bio!