Literacy-Rich Homes Campaign

Designed to build joy and access in family literacy. Our campaign includes free books, author events, read-alouds, and digital storytelling—all rooted in cultural relevance and celebrating diverse voices.

From Friendship Fund Grant:

By March 2026-

• Distribute 100  culturally relevant books to 20 families to begin building home libraries
• Host 1 small literacy event featuring a local author or storyteller
• Conduct 2 facilitated parent-teacher dialogue sessions to begin building cultural understanding in schools
• Collect data through attendance tracking, feedback forms, focus groups, and surveys.

Key Initiatives

• Free book distribution to families
  CJPERC will provide free books to children to inspire reading, improve vocabulary development and comprehension, and support language and literacy fluency.  During our first year of rollout, we will distribute books to at least 50 homes where children and adults can read aloud, silently and find joy through the printed word. 
• Author events and virtual readings
  Do you know that we have authors of children’s books in our own community?  In addition to giving away books that span Pre-K through high school,  our  Literacy-Rich Homes Campaign will host three authors events that will engage, inspire and promote reading and writing.
• In case you can’t make it to our resource center, we will have three virtual
  virtual reading sessions live and/or /recorded so that participants can enjoy a book from any remote location where there is internet.
• Parent workshops on family reading time
  In November and March, we will bring together teachers and parents to discuss making home a place where children and adults can share a book or read it on their own. Building home libraries help children stay occupied in productive ways.  Home libraries support students’ curiosity to become life-long learners, expand their vocabulary and comprehension, strengthen self-esteem and other benefits that will help them as adults.
• Digital storytelling resources and training
• Check out our online resources that lists books and other materials that will engage your child, inspire them to learn and use the digital tools that promote literacy.
• Culturally relevant literature selections
• We ensure children will see, hold, read, and listen to materials that are culturally relevant where students can see others like them in a positive light, doing positive things and uplifting others.

We welcome all readers, writers, volunteers, and financial supporters to help us bring the joy of reading to our students here in Ashtabula.

Program Impact

Through these initiatives, families develop stronger reading habits at home, children gain greater access to diverse literature, and communities build a culture that celebrates literacy and storytelling.

Program Details

Activities run throughout the year with special events during school breaks. Book distributions occur quarterly, and digital resources are available to all participating families through our website..

How to write a literacy campaign

To write a successful literacy campaign, you must first define a clear and specific purpose, understand your target audience, and develop a message that connects with them on a human level. Unlike a personal literacy narrative, which tells a private story, a campaign requires strategic planning to motivate widespread community action. 

1. Plan your campaign strategy

Define clear and specific objectives

• Set a specific goal. A broad aim like “improve literacy” is not enough. Instead, define measurable objectives, such as “increase summer reading program enrollment by 15% among K–3 students in our district” or “recruit 25 new adult literacy tutors in the next six months”.
• Establish a timeline. Create a realistic timeline with a start date, end date, and key milestones. An ambitious goal with an unrealistic timeline can lead to burnout. 

Understand your audience

• Identify the target group. Your campaign’s message and tactics will differ depending on whether you’re targeting parents of young children, adults who need help with basic reading and writing, or the general public.
• Assess their motivations. Consider what will drive your audience to act. Tap into universal human needs like self-esteem, social approval, and a desire for personal growth. 

Craft a core message

• Develop a compelling narrative. Tell a story that highlights the “why” behind your campaign. Explain why literacy matters to the community and what the real-world impact is.
• Frame the issue as urgent. Position early childhood literacy, for example, as an urgent community issue that requires immediate action.
• Make it emotional. An effective campaign story is honest and heartfelt. It should
  move people to become active donors, volunteers, or supporters. 
  
  

2. Prepare your campaign materials

 Create a dynamic mix of content

• Use visuals. Post pictures and videos of community members engaged in literacy activities to create a human connection.
• Write clear and honest copy. Keep your language simple and direct. Use bolding and bullet points to emphasize key information and make your content easy to scan and understand.
• Create promotional items. Develop tangible materials like bookmarks with literacy slogans to hand out at local events and grocery stores.
• Design posters. Create eye-catching posters with images of local figures (like elders or families) engaged in literacy activities. Include compelling, positive slogans. 

Develop a strong call to action (CTA)

• Use action words. Start your CTA with a strong verb like “Join,” “Support,” or “Volunteer.”.
• Be specific. Tell people exactly what you want them to do. For example: “Donate a book today” or “Sign up to be a reading mentor”. 
  
  

3. Implement your campaign

 Mobilize the community

• Use your network. Get support from parents, teachers, daycare workers, and other community figures. Create a committee to share the workload and increase outreach.
• Collaborate with local partners. Work with schools, libraries, and businesses to host events like book fairs and author visits.
• Engage the media. Share your campaign story with the local newspaper and radio station. This can include literacy ads, stories from elders, or a special literacy hour.

Launch your tactics

• Run a “Get Caught Reading” campaign. Take photos of community members reading and post them around town. Offer small prizes, like a free book, to weekly winners.
• Host events. Organize a large-scale “Read for 15” event where everyone in the community is encouraged to read for 15 minutes at the same time.
• Utilize online channels. Share updates on social media, create a hashtag, and use email to keep supporters informed. This builds a sense of momentum and helps sustain donor engagement. 
  
  

4. Evaluate and document your results

 Monitor performance in real-time

• Track key metrics. Monitor KPIs such as volunteer sign-ups, event attendance, and social media engagement. This allows you to adapt your strategy if something isn’t working.
• Collect data. Gather data to assess whether you met your initial objectives. You can use surveys, feedback, and performance reports to evaluate your effectiveness. 

Document and report your findings

• Write a post-campaign report. Document what worked well, what could be improved, and key insights you gained about your audience. This helps inform future campaigns.
• Measure long-term impact. While it can be challenging to measure, consider the long-term changes your campaign helped create, such as an increase in library card sign-ups or improved student reading scores.