The Nook is Family Reading Partnership's newest outreach project, an engaging play area at The Shops at Ithaca Mall. The space is available at no cost for caregivers with infants and children 5 and under to talk, sing, read, and play together to build essential early literacy skills. The Nook is a relaxing place for families to interact together, as well as an access point for free children's books to take home and keep. In just four months, The Nook has served 400 adults and 380 children from across Tompkins County and gifted over 580 books directly to families!

Books are running very low, and funds are needed to keep The Nook free to all visitors. Your donation will bring much needed early literacy resources to families across Tompkins County. Please make a gift today to help us reach our $20,000 goal and share the campaign!

Moving to the Mall has also increased access for our volunteers and donors. Our former home in Danby was out of the way, lacked bus service, and was not near any other conveniences. The Nook is now a centrally located hub for our helpers to pick up and drop off books to serve the over 50 Bright Red Bookshelves that Family Reading Partnership maintains in our community. We have already seen a 10% jump in books delivered to the BRBs since October, and an over 35% increase in books donated to the program! 47% more books have reached local children than just 1 year ago.

We are committed to keeping The Nook entirely free of charge to all visitors. We feel that even sliding scale fee structures add a barrier for families and create an inequitable setting from the outset. As a nonprofit it is the responsibility of our team to ensure that we are offering a public service that is making every decision with inclusion and justice at the forefront, and your support makes it possible for us to deliver on our promises.

Please make a donation now, every little bit helps!