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A new grant for Memphis Public Libraries will support youth literacy programs across the library system.
Youth literacy efforts at Memphis Public Libraries (MPL) got a bump Monday with an $85,000 grant from the International Paper Foundation.
The grant will be used to help children from early childhood to adolescence expand their reading skills outside the classroom, according to Christine Weinreich, executive director of the Memphis Library Foundation.
The money will further fuel a range of literacy programs and learning resources, particularly in branches in underserved communities. The programs are designed to help students achieve literacy proficiency benchmarks respective to their grade level and beyond. The programs include:
• DiscoverREAD centers, which equip parents and guardians with tools to enhance early childhood literacy skills for ages 0 to 5 and sets students up for early success during elementary school. Through the grant, MPL will open centers in the East Shelby branch and the Cordova branch.
• Explore Memphis, which helps students remain on track with their reading skills during the summer months and, most recently, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant will provide free books at several branches and build incentive programs to encourage students to remain engaged in reading outside the classroom.
• Teen Innovation Centers, which offer teens a space to engage in literacy and technology activities. The grant will support the opening of a center in the East Shelby library branch, making it the third branch in the MPL system with a Teen Innovation Center.
• Family Tunes and Tales, a program that celebrates storytelling through music and reading. With support from the grant, Family Tunes and Tales will be expanded and enhanced, despite being fully virtual in 2021, by offering families free books and take-home activity kits related to each Tunes and Tales episode.
“Memphis Public Libraries is a critical resource in our community, not only in furthering literacy among children but also empowering our next generation of leaders right here in our hometown of Memphis,” said Dynisha Woods, global citizenship coordinator for International Paper. “We’re proud to continue supporting the system’s programs, and we’re excited to see what new thoughtful and creative activities the Library will bring to Memphis families this year