AN OPEN BOOK FOUNDATION

AN OPEN BOOK FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO CONNECT WASHINGTON, DC-AREA STUDENTS WITH AUTHORS, ILLUSTRATORS, AND THEIR BOOKS TO NURTURE A LIFELONG LOVE OF READING. WE SUPPORT EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE BY BUILDING EQUITABLE ACCESS TO INTERACTIVE LITERACY ENRICHMENT AND HIGH-QUALITY BOOKS. OUR VISION IS THAT CHILDREN SEE THEMSELVES AS READERS, WHO USE THEIR WRITTEN AND VISUAL LITERACY SKILLS TO NAVIGATE A COMPLEX WORLD AND DEFINE THEIR OWN FUTURES. AOB PARTNERS WITH TITLE 1 SCHOOLS IN THE DC METRO AREA: WARDS 1,2,4,5,6,7,8 IN DC; MONTGOMERY COUNTY AND PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD; AND ALEXANDRIA CITY AND FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA. BECAUSE WE WORK IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS, WE ALSO CONSIDER OTHER DATA POINTS TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY. DUE TO A LONG HISTORY OF DISCRIMINATORY POLICIES IN OUR COUNTRY, STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOLS WE SERVE ARE PREDOMINANTLY BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND PEOPLE OF COLOR. NOT ONLY DO AOB'S LITERACY PROGRAMS ADDRESS THESE DISPARITIES, BUT THEY ALSO INFUSE JOY IN THE STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, AND AUTHORS WHO EXPERIENCE THEM. AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS PRESENT ENGAGING BOOK TALKS AND INTERACTIVE WRITING AND DRAWING DEMONSTRATIONS AND AOB GIVES EVERY STUDENT ATTENDING THE EVENT A COPY OF THE AUTHOR'S BOOK TO ADD TO THEIR HOME LIBRARY. SCHOOL AND CLASSROOM LIBRARIES RECEIVE A SET OF THE AUTHOR'S TITLES. SINCE OUR FIRST EVENT IN 2010, WE HAVE GIVEN OVER 125,000 BOOKS TO STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS AT NEARLY 1,400 SCHOOL VISITS WHERE AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS MADE NEARLY 2,500 PRESENTATIONS. DURING PRESENTATIONS, AUTHORS INTERACT WITH CLASSES; WHILE SIGNING STUDENTS' BOOKS AUTHORS ENGAGE IN ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATIONS WITH EACH STUDENT. THESE TALENTED AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS DONATE THEIR TIME TO PROVIDE DYNAMIC, INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES INCLUDING WRITING WORKSHOPS, READ-ALOUDS, AND LITERACY-BASED ART PROJECTS. MEETING PROFESSIONAL BOOK CREATORS CAN INTRODUCE STUDENTS TO A FUTURE CAREER PATH THEY MAY NOT HAVE OTHERWISE CONSIDERED. STUDENTS CAN IMAGINE THEMSELVES AS WRITERS OR ARTISTS WHEN THEY MEET AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS WHO SHARE THEIR LIFE EXPERIENCE OR CULTURE. FURTHERMORE, WITH THE ADDITION OF BOOKS TO HOMES AND SCHOOLS, LIBRARY CIRCULATION INCREASES, HOME LIBRARIES EXPAND, AND STUDENTS' ENTHUSIASM GROWS. IN ADDITION TO OUR FLAGSHIP AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR SCHOOL VISITS PROGRAM, AN OPEN BOOK OFFERS SEVERAL OTHER PROGRAMS: -NEW AND EMERGING ARTISTS OF COLOR - AMPLIFYING THE CREATIVE VOICES OF DEBUT BIPOC AUTHORS/ILLUSTRATORS.-ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE - MULTI-SESSION VISUAL ART LESSONS.-STEM RESIDENCE - MULTI-SESSION LESSONS EXPLORING STEM-RELATED SKILLS AND CONCEPTS.-EXTENSION ACTIVITIES - FOLLOW-UP EVENTS THAT DEEPEN STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES WITH THE BOOKS THEY RECEIVE.-COHORT INITIATIVE - OFFERS OUR FULL RANGE OF PROGRAMMING ACROSS THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAREER OF AN ENTIRE GRADE AT SELECTED SCHOOLS.