Connecticut Humanities has received $28,500 from The Scripps Family Fund for Education and the Arts (SFFEA) to expand its Book Voyagers program in the eastern part of the state during the coming year. Funding will provide engaging literature experiences and books for families and children in libraries, schools, and community organizations.

SFFEA was founded in 2014 to support the philanthropic vision of its founders. Their vision is for “every child to have access to quality educational opportunities and learning experiences in order to foster a productive citizenship and healthy democratic society.” The founders believe that a productive democratic society is based on a broadly educated population. SFFEA “seeks to improve the prospects of economically disadvantaged children and youth in Connecticut and beyond by investing in organizations that provide support for learning, enrichment, and inspiration to ensure self-sufficiency and life success.”

Book Voyagers will forward SFFEA’s mission by sponsoring book discussions, storytelling sessions, writing and drawing workshops, performances, and other high-quality educational programs specifically designed to help students become stronger readers and more critical thinkers. Efforts will focus on low-income communities and target students in grades one to three to support reading achievement.

“We are especially thankful to SFFEA for their generous support during these unprecedented times. We are exploring innovative ways to effectively reach those with the least access to books and educational resources, exacerbated by the current crisis,” says Susan Muro, Book Voyagers program manager.

Book Voyagers enables families to nurture the love of reading in their children as well as build literature-rich home environments with the books distributed at each session. Recruitment has begun and virtual and in-person programs will run through June 30, 2021.