Written by This Month’s Recipient Group:
Pleasant Glade Elementary is a school wide title one program that targets children for their home visitor program. The program funds individuals who work with families nominated by teachers. These families tend to have children in lower grades and are somehow at risk. For instance, a home visitor will model how to read an age appropriate book with a child in a family with a second language using one of the age appropriate Spanish titles offered by the First Book Marketplace. Pleasant Glade Elementary also conducts a “club house”, which is an after school program held three nights a week, where c
hildren are given the opportunity to work with home visitors for extra reading help. Pleasant Glade Elementary has also used extra parent funds to purchase a number of books through the First Book Marketplace. They have purchased a wide variety of books, including Spanish titles.
How many children do you serve and what are their age ranges?
The home visitor program serves approximately 12 families a year. Books are provided to not only the students but also their siblings. The program primarily focuses on children in kindergarten to second grade; however this varies based on the age of siblings.
How long have you been a First Book Recipient Group and how many books have you received from First Book since you registered with us?
Pleasant Glade Elementary has been working with First Book for 4 years! They have ordered 900 books from the First Book Marketplace and have provided children with over 500 books through First Book grants.
They have received grants through their local First Book Advisory Board which serves Thurston County, WA. To find out more about this Advisory Board if there is a board serving your area please visit www.firstbook.org/abfinder
Periodically we profile one of the many community programs that receive books from First Book for the children they serve. Special thanks to Cynthia Monge-Eaton of Pleasant Glade Elementary for her help on this profile.
