Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

We are hiring for a new Director of Development at the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy who will be responsible for helping to execute our multi-year strategy and achieve our fundraising goals. We are looking for someone with a passion for our mission of literacy and an enthusiastic ambassador for the organization who will develop and deepen critical relationships with major, corporate and foundation donors and prospects. Spread the word!

Last month, we kicked off the Barbara Bush Centennial with a special Celebration of Reading in New York City featuring appearances by bestselling authors and special guests including Brooke Shields, Jessamine Chan, and Kirsten Miller. Read more about this signature event, our plans for this Centennial year, and the vital importance of family literacy in this article by East Wing Magazine: https://lnkd.in/e5ekfsRn

It was wonderful to partner with the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach, Florida, to cohost their 17th annual Literacy Day, which immersed more than 200 students from local Title I schools in a fun, engaging day of reading-focused programming. Thank you Colgate-Palmolive and Simon & Schuster for your generous support of this wonderful event. Read more about Literacy Day here: https://rb.gy/s2c42p

A wonderful conversation with Anita B. McBride and her daughter Giovanna McBride on first ladies in children's literature! You can find their newly released book "First Ladies Make History," published by the White House Historical Association, here: https://lnkd.in/ekfstfwU

Students who participate in our reading mentoring programs achieve literacy gains at a rate of three times the classroom alone. This Giving Tuesday, invest in the transformative power of literacy by making a tax-deducible gift at https://lnkd.in/ehwG-FPH

As the leader of an organization that focuses on building literacy skills within the family, this article is a bit dispiriting. We know that, in general, families that read outside of school tend to have higher reading skills. "Only 34.6% of eight- to 18-year-olds surveyed by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) said that they enjoy reading in their spare time. This is the lowest level recorded by the charity since it began surveying children about their reading habits 19 years ago, representing an 8.8 percentage point drop since last year." The declining levels of enjoyment and frequency found in this study is just further proof that we need to revisit our nation's approach and find ways to incorporate reading for pleasure as part of literacy education. At the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy we take a family centered approach to literacy that provides content choice and includes activities to make reading fun for young learners and their families. I know many other non-profit organizations are also working to ensure that student choice is a larger part of literacy program design. I hope we can figure out how to more effectively build it into the K-12 system as well.

I had the opportunity to profile the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy recently spotlighting how they impact people's lives. They are back at it with a newly announced yearlong campaign to improve literacy by honoring former #firstlady Barbara Bush's 100th birthday year. Check it out 👇 Plus, it's that time of year when First Lady Dr. Jill Biden is expected to welcome the official #WhiteHouse Christmas tree. #eastwing #firstladies

What an incredible evening! Thank you to our wonderful authors Brooke Shields, Jessamine Chan, and Kirsten Miller and our special guests Lauren Bush Lauren, Abigail Quammen, and Ali Velshi for helping us celebrate the transformative power of reading! We also want to express our immense gratitude to our supporters for helping us raise support for our nationwide literacy programs and launch the Barbara Bush Centennial initiative. Read more about this event here: https://rb.gy/yjn7tz #barbarabushcentennial Photo credit: Jennifer Graylock The Lotos Club Concorde Hotel New York

We can't wait for Jessamine Chan and Kirsten Miller to join us at our New York Celebration of Reading next week. This special event will raise support for nationwide literacy programs and increase awareness of our country’s literacy challenge. Learn more or register at https://lnkd.in/ezJXKPBH

If you're attending the 2024 Families Learning Conference hosted by National Center for Families Learning, be sure to join Pam Cote, our Senior Director of Literacy Programs and Partnerships, and Heather Brinkworth, our Technical Program Director, to learn about the Barbara Bush Foundation's innovative strategies and effective resources to support parents and caregivers, families, and practitioners. https://lnkd.in/ex-hf3Fn