Community Knowledge Centre - Toronto Community Foundation

About this organization

Mission

The mission of The Children’s Book Bank is to provide free books and literacy support to children in high-needs neighbourhoods across Toronto by recycling gently-used children's books and making them available through a storefront “book bank” in the Regent Park area of Toronto.

The Book Bank is like a wonderful children's bookstore, though the books are free to the children and their families. The Book Bank provides literacy support and education to its customers and is a popular destination for local schools, daycares and after school groups to visit for field trips at no cost.  In addition, the Book Bank distributes books to families who live too far to visit by partnering with literacy agencies and schools operating in priority neighbourhoods throughout Toronto.

History of Organization

The Children's Book Bank was founded by a group of community volunteers in the fall of 2007 and opened Canada's first children's "book bank" in the spring of 2008.

Though Toronto has food banks, clothing banks, even a furniture bank, there has never been a book bank. This is the case despite the fact that the City generates a large supply of surplus children's books by families who have outgrown them and publishers and retailers that have been unable to sell them. Until now, there has been no easily identifiable destination for gently-used children's books and many have ended up sitting dormant or sent to landfill sites. At the same time, studies show that low-income families do not purchase books for their children despite the fact that book ownership contributes greatly to childhood literacy and later academic success.

The Book Bank connects the supply of gently-used children's books with children who might not otherwise have a chance to own them. As a result, children from low-income families experience the same joy, pride and benefits of book ownership as children from more affluent families.

Accolades and Accomplishments

The Book Bank has been featured in a number of news pieces including CTV News, Global News, CBC Radio, The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, Zoomer Magazine, Homemakers Magazine and The Torontoist. In each of these publications, the Book Bank has been lauded for its innovation in creating Canada’s first children’s book bank and for the wonderful work being accomplished in its community.

In the spring of 2009 the Book Bank received a community service award from The Cabbagetown Business Improvement Association. and its founder, Kim Beatty, received a Woman of Hope award from The Yonge Street Mission. In 2011 the Book Bank was awarded a Friend of Macaulay Award by the Macaulay Child Development Centre and Ms. Beatty was a finalist in the category of Everyday Heroes in Chataleine Magazine's Women of the Year Awards for her work with the Book Bank.

Programs

>The Berkeley Street Book Bank
>Books Beyond Berkeley Street

The Children's Book Bank operates a storefront Book Bank in the Regent Park area of Toronto ("The Berkeley Street Book Bank"). Through this operation, the Book Bank provides free books and literacy support to families in the surrounding high-needs communities of Regent Park, Moss Park, and St. James Town.  The Book Bank also provides literacy training and education and serves as a destination for field trips for local schools, daycares, parenting centres and after school programs. 

In addition, the Book Bank operates an outreach program "Books Beyond Berkeley Street" to reach children in high-needs communities beyond Regent Park. Through this program the Book Bank partners with literacy agencies and schools operating outside of Regent Park by providing them with books to distribute to families who live too far away to visit the Berkeley Street Book Bank.

The Berkeley Street Book Bank

The Berkeley Street Book Bank is like a magical children's bookstore in the Regent Park area of Toronto. 

The Book Bank has a wide array of beautiful, gently-used children’s books appropriate for children from birth up to twelve years and provides a beautiful and welcoming environment for children to experience the joy of books and reading. Families are encouraged to stay at the Book Bank and enjoy shared reading moments in the comfortable surroundings.  The Book Bank is open five days a week and families are encouraged to visit as frequently as they wish. Many families come every day. There is no registration or charge to use the Book Bank and families are permitted to take and keep one book per person, per visit.

The Book Bank is staffed by two librarians and a wide array of volunteers, including many retired teachers and librarians, who provide advice on book selection and literacy development and who are available to read with the children. In addition, the Book Bank offers literacy education programs aimed at teaching parents about the importance of reading books to babies.  

Funding and Program Partners

The Berkeley Street Book Bank is supported by a wide variety of donors, including individual donors, family foundations and corporations.

The Book Bank has partnered with several funding and program delivery partners to provide literacy education and support programs.  In particular:

• Books for Babies- a program whereby community women were trained to deliver an educational program to their friends and neighbours about the importance of reading to babies (in partnership with The Yonge Street Mission and The Retired Teachers of Ontario)
• The Reading Lap Project- a reading circle program for teen mothers, including monthly visits to the Book Bank with their babies to learn how to play with books and read books to babies (in partnership with Literature for Life and The Chawkers Foundation)
• Words for Wee Ones- a program that allowed for the purchase and distribution of 1,000 children's dictionaries (supported by the Maria Christina Hendrie Trust and Scholastic Canada)

Program Impact

The Book Bank permits families who would not otherwise purchase books, an opportunity to obtain books for their children.  This helps children build their own libraries and foster and develop a love of books and reading. The families of Regent Park have enthusiastically embraced the Book Bank and visit the Book Bank regularly and frequently.  Since opening in the spring of 2008, the Book Bank has distributed over 250,000 books and continues to see an average of 180 visitors a day.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

"Toronto has made no progress in a decade in eliminating child poverty. Social assistance doesn't cover the cost of food and shelter, forcing many to rely on food banks"

(Toronto's Vital Signs® 2011)

Book ownership in childhood is more strongly linked with childhood literacy and future academic success than parental income or education.  Improved literacy rates of children in low-income families will contribute to the elimination of childhood poverty in the future.

Participant Vignette

The kids who visit the Book Bank have a lot to say in their thank you notes and cards to the Book Bank:

"The Book Bank is where I read my first chapter book. The volunteers are excellent at finding books for you....The Book Bank is where I learned to love books..."

"The Children's Book Bank is important to me because you can actually get free books and keep them for your whole life...they have new and not ripped and old books and it helps other children to get better at reading..."

"Thank you for the books. If we don't have books we can't learn to read.  If we can't read we won't know to read.  Thank you for all the books"

"The Book Bank is important to me because I always need a place to go if I'm sad or upset and the book bank is the place..."

The parents of our customers are also enthusiastic about the Book Bank:

 "...My son so loves to stay here and love books here.  Thank you for everything.  Special thank you to the staff working here..."

"This wonderful place is so nice and clean.  Just like a dream.  Best of all going home with happy children with a free book, good for the mind..."

"I usually share the books with my friends after my son reads them.  So the Book Bank doesn't only help my son but also helps many kids..."

Books Beyond Berkeley Street

The Books Beyond Berkeley Street program allows the Book Bank to provide free books and literacy support to families living too far away to visit the Berkeley Street Book Bank. Through this program, the Book Bank partners with community agencies and schools working with families in priority neighbourhoods across the City. The program varies from agency to agency and includes:

• a small satellite book bank such as the Macaulay Book Nook, operated by the Macaulay Child Development Centre
• a regular distribution of books to literacy support workers who distribute books to their high-needs families
• a regular distribution of books to schools to be distributed to the students by their teachers or school librarians
• a regular distribution of books to homework clubs

Funding and Program Partners

The funding for Books Beyond Berkeley Street is provided through the Book Bank's general donor base along with The CIBC Children's Miracle Network, RBC Foundation, The Betty Averbach Foundation and Goldman Sachs Gives- The Chisholm Thompson Family Fund.

The Book Bank has had a number of program delivery partners including:

• The Macaulay Child Development Centre- serving Toronto West and Humber Community
• The Reaching Up Homework Club- serving the Jane and Finch community
• Numerous public and Catholic elementary schools in high-needs neighbourhoods across Toronto

Program Impact

Through The Books Beyond Berkeley Street Program, The Book Bank has been able to distribute tens of thousands of books to children in high-needs neighbourhoods who live too far away to visit the Berkeley Street Book Bank.  This program effectively allows the Book Bank to "expand" outside of Regent Park without the costs of opening additional storefront book banks.  

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

"When almost 80% of Toronto’s teacher-librarians work part-time, the libraries are open fewer hours, and less available to students before, during and after the school day. This particularly affects students who don’t have access to books and resources at home."

(Toronto's Vital Signs® 2011)

The Book Bank provides needed support to high-needs communities affected by the declining presence of librarians in schools and endangered availability of the public library system. 

Participant Vignette

The Children's Book Bank is a featured partner in the Macaulay Child Development Centre's 2010 Annual Report: 

"The CBB ensures the Macaulay Book Nook has an ample supply of books as part of their mission to promote a life-long love of reading/learning."

On average, approximately 1,000 books per month are reaching children in west Toronto neighbourhoods, thanks to this partnership between Macaulay and The Children's Book Bank.  Macaulay has set up a welcoming 'Book Nook' at their Eglinton and Dufferin location, where families visit to select children's book to take home and keep.  As well, books are distributed to children in Macaulay programs including Homework Clubs in the Weston/Mount Dennis and Rexdale areas, Ontario Early Years Centres and child care centres.

Among the many families who attend the Book Nook is a single parent with 2 preschoolers who says, "my daughter won't let a week go by without making sure that we come to the Book Nook."