Children in Salem will soon be able to take home books and activities to help them learn to read from flea markets, the gym and other locations around Salem thanks to a recent round of grants from the Marion Polk Early Learning Hub.

The organization announced last week it will distribute over $255,000 in small grants to dozens of organizations in the region to get books in children’s hands and classrooms.

The “mini-grants” will go to 54 recipients, including the Kroc Center, Salem Public Library and the Center for Hope and Safety.

The learning hub’s grants are in support of a state initiative to improve reading skills for children from birth through third grade. 

More than three in four third graders in Salem were not proficient in reading according to state tests last year — a higher share than Oregon’s average. Those numbers vary widely by schools, and schools with higher poverty rates and a larger share of students who are not native English speakers tend to perform worse.

The grants aim to to close some of those gaps by supporting families and increasing access to early education, a May 14 statement said.

Recipients are established and locally trusted organizations and will use the money to send books, start libraries and fund family activities, according to the statement.

“We wanted to provide flexibility with this grant in hopes of receiving some ‘out of the box’ and creative ideas to incorporate literacy-nutritious experiences in our community that are accessible to families,” Lisa Harnisch, executive director of Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub, said in a statement. “We need to do our part to help ensure children have access to materials and supports at the earliest ages to ensure they are reading on grade level by third grade.”

Here are some of the grants to Salem organizations.

Salem-Keizer Coalition for Equality 

Total amount: $9,495

The Salem-Keizer Coalition for Equality received two grants for programs to support Latino families with students in the Salem-Keizer School District. The coalition partners with the school district to help improve education outcomes for Latino and Spanish-speaking students.

One program, the Backpack Project, received $4,495 to lend backpacks filled with themed educational materials for families to engage with at home.

Another program, the cultural heritage literacy project, received $5,000 to host cultural storytelling events with interactive reading, songs and activities.

Salem-Keizer preschools

Total amount: $18,790

Grants to four preschool programs within the Salem-Keizer School District will allow more kids access to books in Spanish.

A grant for $4,000 will go towards creating kits for migrant preschoolers and their families to encourage early literacy skills. Kits will have two Spanish books, writing tools, puzzles and other activities.

A second grant for $4,995 was awarded to the program to buy educational books for six new preschool classrooms.

The third grant will provide $4,901 to integrate Spanish books and literacy activity into dual language classrooms. There will be interactive read-alouds and themed literacy units.

A fourth grant will send $4,894 to the program and fund language development and literacy activities like letter recognition and formation and writing skills.

Salem Public Library

Total amount: $12,000

The Salem Public Library received $12,000 to continue its popular early lit collections. The collections include English and Spanish read-alongs, launchpads for preschoolers and themed backpacks for toddlers.

WFMC Health

Total amount: $5,000

WFMC Health, a health care clinic in the Four Corners neighborhood, received $5,000 to include music and literacy materials into two of its child care classes. The grant will help child care workers work with children to develop bilingual literacy by using songs, storytelling, puppets and videos.

Kroc Center

Total amount: $5,000

The Kroc Center received money to create two reading nooks and 100 take-home literacy kits. The nooks will be for children from 0 to 5 years old to get cozy and read, and the kits will include supplies to engage children’s creativity and literacy skills.

ENLACE

Total amount: $12,000

Two grants went to ENLACE, a community project that provides educational classes for Spanish speakers, cultural programs and volunteer opportunities.

The two grants, which are $6,000 each, will go towards developing a reading program for children of business owners at the Salem Flea Market, La Pulgita, which is one of its community partners.

In the project description, it said the grants will provide books and literacy resources to children who “lack regular access to libraries.”

Salem Health NICU

Total amount $5,000

Salem Health will use its $5,000 grant to support a program called Books for Babies, which gives every baby admitted to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, a free book. Babies who are admitted for a prolonged stay will receive more than one, depending on supply.

The program encourages parents and staff to read to each baby at least once a day.

Center for Hope and Safety

Total amount: $5,852

Salem’s Center for Hope and Safety is getting a grant to supply bilingual books and play equipment for children staying at one of its shelters. The nonprofit, which shelters and supports victims of domestic violence, stalking and abuse, hopes to use the money to make shelters a safer space for children.

The grant will provide materials and fund storytimes at the shelter to help children heal and grow emotionally while working on social and cognitive development, according to the project description.

Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency

Total amount: $5,438

The Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency received two grants to fund outreach literacy services for families with young children, especially those with limited access to books. The agency is one of the largest preschool providers in the area.

It received $5,000 for its A Book in Hand project which will provide two to five books for families during the year, including bilingual books and materials for the family’s home language. Materials will be designed for children ages 0-5 and aim to encourage early age daily reading.

A second project, called Rhymes and Reason, will receive $438 to create a traveling story time and play kit for visits with preschool classrooms in the region. Kits will provide books, puppets, stories and prompts to engage children, helping them develop the skills they need to read. The kits will also include materials to encourage at-home reading for children that continue classroom learning.

Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].

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