Thank you for over thirty wonderful years of reading and learning together. BFK has closed its doors.
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Our Libraries
Libraries are an investment in communities & children's futures.
A library in a school or family shelter is just as vital as a community's public library. Why? Because access is everything. We meet children and families where they are, and we're committed to doing so much more than donating books.
Library Design
We transform unused and under-utilized spaces into bountiful libraries because all children deserve a solid start on the path to literacy in early childhood, a crucial time of life for setting positive foundations. Our libraries are print-rich even in design, with words and pictures on the walls and expansive book collections.
Libraries are one of the greatest assets we have to create or support a culture of reading in any community. Be it a preschool, family homeless shelter, or community center, we work with the organization's leadership to place the library within their building wherever it will be most conducive to inviting people to come inside. When a library is the hub of a building and a place for people to gather, a vital piece of creating that culture of reading has been established.
While most of our libraries are entire rooms in a school, we work with educational centers to create libraries that are functional for their spaces. We've even worked with schools to create libraries in their classrooms! Our hope is that the door will always be open to anyone looking for a safe and welcoming place to read and learn.
Check out some before and afters in the slideshow below!
All of our libraries are designed and built by the incomparable Windmill Studios in Brooklyn, New York.
Book Curation
Our libraries contain vibrant and diverse book collections that are specially curated to meet the needs of children and families in each community. Every library contains a core collection of books that promote emergent literacy development and social and emotional learning. The book collections are age appropriate and high-interest, and they contain titles that are recently released, classic, award-winning, and that align with curricula and recommended reading lists.
We also strive to ensure that every child reads their own story on the page. That’s why we stock every library with a diverse collection of stories and characters that reflect and complement the communities we serve. In addition, we feature books that introduce students to different cultures and new ideas that broaden their understanding of the world beyond their communities.
"Books for Kids helps to promote a love of reading. Here, the nearest library is blocks away, so the fact that we have this opportunity to have a librarian come to our program, to build these libraries, that’s essential."
Jennifer Rodriguez
Early Childhood Education Director
Sheltering Arms Children and Family Services
Where We Are
All of our libraries are created in under-resourced communities, inside of schools and centers who are serving children from low-income families. All children deserve a library to call their own, and when budgets aren't big enough to hire a librarian or turn an underutilized room into a new library space for their students, that's where we come in.
When we create new libraries, we look for partners who have already established programs for family involvement or who are committed to strengthening their relationships with families. When we can provide books or a literacy component to a school that has events like Father Days or Teacher Appreciation days on the calendar, we're able to support their efforts and involve families in their child's literacy development on a greater scale.
Preschools- New York
Addie Mae Collins Community Services
| New York, NY
* Bishop Sexton Head Start
| Brooklyn, NY
Concerned Parents of Jamaica Early Learning Center
| Jamaica, NY
Cooper Park Early Childhood Education Center (Sheltering Arms) | Brooklyn, NY
* Cypress Hills Child Care Corporation
| Brooklyn, NY
* Dewitt Head Start
| New York, NY
* Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers, Inc.
| Brooklyn, NY
* Goddard Riverside Day Care Center
| New York, NY
Gwendolyn B. Bland Early Learning Center
| Bronx, NY
* Hamilton-Madison House Head Start
| New York, NY
* Hudson Guild Children's Center
| New York, NY
* Lutheran Social Services Early Life Program
| New York, NY
* Marcy Early Childhood Education Center (Sheltering Arms)
| Brooklyn, NY
* Morningside Early Childhood Education Center (Sheltering Arms)
| New York, NY
* Mother Hale Early Childhood Education Center (Sheltering Arms)
| New York, NY
* Northern Manhattan Head Start
| New York, NY
* UFBCO Child Development Center
| New York, NY
* Virginia Day Early Childhood Education Center (Sheltering Arms) | New York, NY
Yonkers Children's Place
| Yonkers, NY
* denotes a library with Library Specialist programming
Community & Family Justice Centers
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington- FBR Branch
| Washington, DC
Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich
| Greenwich, CT
Brooklyn Family Justice Center (Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic and Gender-Based Violence)
| Brooklyn, NY
Lincoln Park Community Center
| Rockville, MD
Nyack Children's Center
| Nyack, NY
Preschools- National
ABCD Action For Bridgeport Community Development
| Bridgeport, CT
ABCD Action For Boston Community Development Geneva Ave Head Start
| (Dorchester) Boston, MA
Booker T. Washington Child Development Center
| Phoenix, AZ
Carole Robertson Center For Learning - North Lawndale
| Chicago, IL
Catholic Charities Day Care Center
| New Haven, CT
Cottonwood Head Start
| Memphis, TN
Diversified Community Services - Western
| Philadelphia, PA
Education Station Learning Center
| Irving, TX
Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center, Inc.
| Washington, DC
Goodwater Child Development Center
| Goodwater, AL
Hanley Head Start
| Memphis, TN
Horizons for Homeless Children
| Boston, MA
Kai Ming Head Start - North Beach Center
| San Francisco, CA
Lorenzi Park Early Learning (Acelero)
| Las Vegas, NV
Lucia Rivera Early Learning Center (California Children's Academy)
| Los Angeles, CA
Placita de Ninos Preschool (California Children's Academy)
| Los Angeles, CA
Reach Out Center (Acelero)
| Las Vegas, NV
Southwind Elementary School
| Memphis, TN
Spring Valley Learning Center (Acelero)
| Las Vegas, NV
V. Robinson Head Start Center
| Alexander City, AL
West Adams Alpha Center (Training & Research Foundation)
| Los Angeles, CA
Family Shelters
Edward L. Grant Rapid Re-Housing Center
| Bronx, NY
Lafayette Family Residence
| Bronx, NY
Rose McCarthy Residence
| Brooklyn, NY
Solid Ground
| Seattle, WA
Education Community Partners
Here are some education community partners, past and present, we have collaborated with to bring books and literacy resources to students nationwide.
Books for Kids is an official vendor of the NYC Department of Education.
| Acelero Learning, Clark County, NV
| AHRC
| Boys & GIrls Clubs of America
| California Children's Academy
| Catholic Charities
| Cypress Hills Childcare Corporation
| Early LIFE Children's Centers, Lutheran Social Services of New York
| Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers
| Goddard Riverside
| Goodwill Industries
| Mathical Book Prize
| New York City Department of Education
| New York City Department of Homeless Services
| New York City Family Justice Center, Brooklyn
| Office of Early Childhood Education, Shelby County, TN
| Sesame Workshop
| Sheltering Arms
| Solid Ground
| South Bronx United
| The Harlem Book Fair
| YMCA