April 10, 2025
Jessica Knight
Mill Brook School
53 S Curtisville Rd.
603-225-0830
jknight@sau8.org
Mill Brook School Receives $25,000 Literacy Grant from the Children’s Literacy Foundation
Concord, NH: Mill Brook School is excited to announce they have been selected to receive a CLiF Year of the Book grant by the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF). Over the course of the 2025-26 academic year, the school will receive in-person visits from professional authors and illustrators; new books for the school and public libraries; new books for each student to choose and keep; classroom enrichment mini-grants; and many additional literacy resources.
“We will be able to provide resources and experiences that many of our students would not have access to. It would be so beneficial for our students to learn from authors and illustrators and be inspired by their work. We would also be able to provide resources to support creative and innovative ideas that teachers have and we are not always able to fund. It would also allow us to build stronger home libraries for all our students and provide family literacy activities to engage families in creating excitement around reading and writing! THe CLiF Year of the Book grant will have such a positive impact on our school community.” – Katie Scarpati, Principal.
Mill Brook School is one of 14 public elementary schools in Vermont and New Hampshire to receive the Year of the Book grant, which provides up to $25,000 in support to build a culture of literacy within a school community. Mill Brook also receives a follow-up Momentum grant for 2026-27 to support additional books, events, and activities in order to sustain engagement and excitement around the grant.
“CLiF is very pleased to support the children, teachers, and families at this deserving school,” stated CLiF Executive Director Laura Rice. “We are so impressed with the deep commitment expressed by each applicant to provide opportunities for literacy growth and excitement in their students. We are honored to partner with them in this important effort.”
The Year of the Book is designed to supplement a school’s existing literacy efforts, encourage reading and writing, increase family engagement, and make high-quality books accessible to all students. Eligible schools must demonstrate a significant percentage of students scoring below proficiency on reading and writing assessments, as well as overall community need.
“Our hope is that our students will become inspired to expand their passion for reading after attending a kick off assembly at the beginning of the year featuring a professional artist and selecting new books of their choosing to take home. Throughout the year, we will be able to bring in presenters, have book giveaways, and work with families to foster a love of literacy. We are so excited to see the impact that this grant will have on all our students!” – Jessica Knight, Digital Learning Specialist.
About the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF)
CLiF is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating literacy experiences that support success in life and learning for under-resourced children in New Hampshire and Vermont. Each year, CLiF reaches thousands of young readers and writers through enriching programming, in-person visits from professional authors and illustrators, book giveaways and more. For more information, visit clifonline.org.