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Northwest Local School District (NWLSD) partnered with the Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati (LNGC) to install a Little Free Library outside of all five elementary schools and at Houston Early Learning Center. Struble Elementary School hosted a ribbon cutting on Thursday, February 20, 2020, on the day that the Little Libraries were installed. As part of the celebration, LNGC gave all of the students that participated in the grand opening two books, Llama Llama Red Pajama, by Anna Dewdney; and Pub and Bear by Kate Banks.

“This is such a wonderful opportunity for our students. This type of partnership really furthers our efforts to promote our relentless focus on literacy,” said Stephanie Kessling, NWLSD Director of Curriculum. “There is such a great need to encourage and motivate students to read not only in the classroom but to invest time in reading at home.”

The Little Free Library allows students to have access to thousands of free donated books around the Greater Cincinnati area, especially in low-income communities. The LNGC not only champions the development of literacy by improving access, but they also serve as a catalyst for literacy efforts. Since 2018, LNGC has installed 50 little libraries within the city of Cincinnati. 

“Our partnership with LNGC allows our students to have access to the resources that they need when they are not in school,”  said Kessling. “We’re finding that students who report to reading at home have a higher proficiency in reading and writing. Our District is not only working to encourage parents to read, but we are also trying to eliminate the financial barriers that students may have when it comes to having books accessible.”