Liz Soltys has worked in education for more than 16 years. Throughout that time, she’s seen programs for students come and go. In 2010, she learned about Book Trust and has been a leading implementor of the program at Crawford Elementary School in Aurora, CO ever since.
The program started small, with first graders selecting books to build their personal libraries. Now the program serves the entire school population, pre-K through fifth grade.
A Literacy Program that Evolves with the School Community
Liz has seen the Crawford Elementary School community change over the years and is grateful to have a partnership with Book Trust that also evolves to meet their needs.
“When I first started there 16 years ago, [the school community was] predominantly Hispanic,” notes Liz. “Within my first five years, we saw our first influx of refugees who came from Africa and Burma and settled within our school lines. Now we are experiencing influxes from around the world including the Congo, Afghanistan, Nepal, Burma, Bhutan, Rwanda, Eritrea, El Salvador, Columbia, and Venezuela…. Currently in our school we have about 23 languages, are 100% free and reduced lunch, have over 93% [of students] under the poverty level and about 75% multi-language learners. Out of that 75%, 52% of the kids are LEP which means that they have very little English language.”
Several times throughout the school year, Crawford students receive a stipend and choose books from a catalogue curated by Book Trust and distributed by Scholastic. The books are culturally relevant and reading-level appropriate.
“Many of our students do not have their basic needs met at home but with the help of programs in our school, are able to have access to an equitable education as soon as they step through our doors,” explains Liz. “One way some of their literacy needs are met is through the Book Trust program… This can equate to about 10-18 books per year that get into our students’ homes!”
Liz recognizes the importance of building a culture of literacy at her school. Frequently, her students don’t have the print concepts needed to be successful in reading when they start the year. Liz elaborates, “I realize how important it is to immediately get books into the hands of my students that they will love and cherish. It is amazing to see the progression of my kids.”
Weaving Book Trust into the Fabric of the Classroom
Over the years, and with the help of Book Trust resources for educators, Liz has integrated book choice and celebration into her classroom culture. This includes creating book boxes, having super readers, reading with book buddies, building book-reading forts under tables, and more. She observes the program’s impact on literacy and beyond on a regular basis. “While the Scholastic books from Book Trust have made a tremendous impact on student reading in my classroom, it is also clearly seen how the program is integrated into all subject areas in my classroom,” explains Liz. “When it is order week, we use our math skills and what we know about numbers to make selections. We write thank you notes and talk about our books. We write about our favorite parts and use the books for interactive reading and writing research… We find fiction and non-fiction books and preview them to help students be successful in their reading.”
Building Personal Libraries and Seeing them in Action
By partnering with schools to increase book access, choice, and ownership, Book Trust creates the conditions to foster engaged readers at school and at home. Crawford Elementary School’s culture includes home visits where educators and administrators meet with families and engage with their students in the community setting.
This is a unique time for students to showcase the libraries they build through Book Trust. “It is also very special when my kids show us their Book Trust selections when we go on home visits… I can see how used and loved they are at home,” notes Liz. “All we could say is ‘thank you’ for giving our students the resources and opportunities to love reading and have a passion for literacy.”