POWNAL — The Solomon Wright Public Library recently announced that they will be one of eight regional partners in receipt of a new Early Childhood Literacy Foundation (CLiF) Grant.
"We just found out that it was final the other day, and we are super excited to be one of the partners in Vermont getting this pilot program going," said Emily Gold, director of the Solomon Wright Public Library.
The grant, awarded to just a handful of recipients in Vermont and New Hampshire, will consist of an investment of $2,500 for each of the selected locations. This investment will include new books for onsite collections, as well as new books for children to choose and keep for themselves or to add to their "at home libraries;" literacy backpack kits for program use; funds for family engagement activities; and $500 to support literacy-related programming, professional development, field trips, and activities.
Sarah Hall, CLiF communications manager, explained that the grant is a new endeavor, aimed at improving literacy outreach and resources for the youngest of populations.
"This program was created to help address Vermont students' declining reading scores by providing more young learners aged 0-5 with equitable access to enriching literacy development skills," Hall stated. "The Children's Literacy Foundation (CLiF) is proud to include Pownal's Solomon Wright Public Library in the inaugural cohort for our newly launched Early Childhood Literacy Grant."
The grant is not specifically aimed at providing support to rural locations, and its outreach is inclusive of a variety of social settings, as per CLiF Program Manager Cassie Willner, “We’re excited to focus on the many ways that CLiF can support our littlest learners. From small rural libraries to multi-site child care centers, our grant cohort represents a diverse cross-section of partners committed to literacy and quality.”
Other recipients of the 2025-2026 Early Childhood Literacy Grant include Claremont Learning Partnership in Claremont, N.H.; Rise for Baby and Family in Keene, N.H.; Rochester Child Care Center in Rochester, N.H.; and William D. Weeks Memorial Library in Lancaster, N.H. Vermont recipients include ONE Arts Center in Burlington, NEKCA Family Resource Center at Lyndon Institute in Lyndon Center, and Springfield Area Parent Child Center in North Springfield.
"We are very excited to share the good news about our CLiF Grant with the community and we're really making it a goal for us this year to focus on our children and families in the area. This was really great timing, and a great thing for us to be able to direct into for next year," said Gold, but added that the program is in its infancy – and is currently operating as a pilot program.
"We are one of the first partners that CLiF has chosen to work with in developing this program," said Gold. "It is $2,500 to be divided into various categories, and basically they'll be looking for our feedback as we go forward and start to implement things here – to see how it'll work in the future for other libraries and groups."
Engaging young children and their families in literacy and in the library community go hand in hand.
"Part of that is getting the children and families in here," Gold acknowledged. "Part of that might be some incentives to do that. We'll get a bunch of new books. We'll get a bunch of new manipulatives like puppets and things that kids can really engage with, intimately. Some of that is programming, as well – bringing in some visiting artists, musicians, authors – so there's a bunch of different aspects to it, which makes it really exciting too. I mean, it would be great to get that much in just books, but it's books plus all these other things."
The funds to the Solomon Wright Public Library will be accessible before the end of this year, said Gold, and funding will continue through June of 2026.
More information on the Solomon Wright Public Library of Pownal can be found at solomonwrightpubliclibrary.org.
