This section includes answers to the most commonly asked questions from our constituents. If you can't find the answer you are looking for, please email your question to Greta Carlson or submit through our contact form.
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What is Nebraska Growing Readers (NGR)?
Nebraska Growing Readers is a grant-funded partnership between the Nebraska Department of Education, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, the Statewide Family Engagement Center, and Unite for Literacy to expand access to free books across the state. The NGR initiative is an effort to inspire a love of reading in the youngest Nebraskans as well to help nurture parent-child relationships through daily reading.
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Can I get free books?
NGR book distribution is currently open for early childhood educators in the communities of Crete, Kearney, Schuyler, Scottsbluff, and Walthill. Learn more about NGR’s CLSD project. If you think you may be eligible, contact Greta Carlson at gcarlson@nebraskachildren.org
Sixpence Child Care Partnership providers are also able to receive books. Talk to your CCP coach if you are not yet enrolled.
If you are not in one of these groups, we would be happy to talk about partnership opportunities for what book access, community book gardens, and family literacy could look like in your community.
Nebraska Growing Readers also has a digital library available to anyone at no cost.
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What is the digital library?
The Nebraska Growing Readers Library is a website that offers books for young children on topics related to local communities. In the library, you can click on the books to hear them read aloud or to read them with your children. Books are available in English and Spanish, and narration is available in up to 50 languages.
Learn more and access the library HERE.
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What is a book garden and bookstand?
Community book gardens are a family literacy approach to grow a literacy culture in a community. This includes activities like writers' workshops to help community members write and publish relevant books for families, book stands where books are available for anyone to access, and curation of literacy activities, supports for families, and cultivating a culture of reading.
Bookstands are bookshelves available to the public at well-maintained, thoughtful locations.
Nebraska’s premier Community Book Garden is in Schuyler, Nebraska, which supports a local writers' group and 5 bookstands throughout the community.
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How is Nebraska Growing Readers funded?
This program is funded through a variety of sources, including an award from the Nebraska Department of Education’s Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant. Other funding partners are Sixpence, Sixpence CCP, and local community investment.
The 2023-2024 pilot year was made possible through a Nebraska Department of Education ESSER III funding source.
