Roots & Wings Foundation — a family foundation launched in 2020 by Epic CEO and founder Judy Faulkner and her husband, Gordon — recently gave Madison Public Library Foundation a multiyear grant totaling $360,000 to support early literacy programs and resources at Madison Public Library through 2026.
The grant will allow the library to build upon and expand existing programs and collections that prioritize the accessibility of early literacy for children and families. These include:
- the youth delivery program, which connects children and providers at in-home daycares, One City Elementary School, MMSD’s Play and Learn program, and after-school sites with books and other literacy materials
- early childhood collection materials, from board books to audio-enabled picture books
- Parents as First Teachers, which supplies public health staff with early literacy materials and resources so they can visit new parents’ homes, and share the importance of reading, singing, and playing on child development and literacy
- new collection items for theDream Bus mobile library
- WE PLAY materialsfor each of the nine libraries
- One Book at a Time, a targeted outreach effort to distribute books the city’s most under-resourced children so they can build a home library
- technology devices and equipmentfor storytimes, including bilingual programs
“Madison Public Library understands that the literacy-rich experiences that children have during the first three years of life can actually determine future learning and success in a child’s life,” Library Youth Services Manager Tammy Ocampo said. “Having an amazing local partner like Roots & Wings, who also understands this, means that we can extend our capacity and further our work to help children in Madison develop those critical early literacy skills, as well as nurture a love of reading that will last a lifetime.”
The foundation is extremely thankful for Roots & Wings Foundation’s generosity.