The Children’s Literacy Foundation is pleased to announce that
Hillsboro-Deering Elementary School has been selected to receive a $25,000 Year of the Book
literacy grant for the 2023-2024 school year.
Awarded annually to qualifying public elementary schools in Vermont and New Hampshire, the
Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) Year of the Book grant provides selected schools with a
full year of exciting programming including 10 books for each student to choose and keep; fun
and interactive in-person visits from local authors, illustrators, poets and storytellers; new
books for the school and public libraries; funds for classroom literacy projects; and many
additional inspiring literacy resources over the course of the school year. HDES applied for this
grant because of its potential to enrich the lives of the students with literacy activities!
The CLiF Year of the Book grant 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 students
from under-resourced backgrounds.
“CLiF’s Year of the Book Grant program has a proven track record of creating a culture of
literacy within a school community,” said CLiF Program Manager Cassie Willner. “The
excitement that comes from new ideas, new books, and new connections makes this an
invigorating grant for schools. Our ultimate goal here at CLiF and through this grant is to inspire
kids to love reading and writing.”
The Year of the Book will kick off at the beginning of the school year in Fall 2023 with an
enlivening storytelling presentation and an initial book giveaway. Additional literacy events and
book giveaways will continue through the year. HDES will be inviting authors, illustrators and
ports to present to our students along with enhancing classroom libraries.
Since launching the Year of the Book program, CLiF has partnered with 103 elementary schools
in towns across the Twin States.
Year of the Book schools selected for the 2023-2024 school year are:
• Hillsboro-Deering Elementary School in Hillsboro, NH
• Integrated Arts Academy in Burlington, VT
• Lin-Wood Elementary School in Lincoln, NH
• Maple Avenue School in Claremont, NH
• Marlborough School in Marlborough, NH
• Mount Pleasant Elementary School in Nashua, NH
• Putney Central School in Putney, VT
• St. Albans City School in St. Albans, VT
• Swanton Elementary School in Swanton, VT
• Union Street School in Springfield, VT
• Albany Community in Albany, VT (Small School Grant)
• Pittsburg School in Pittsburg, NH (Small School Grant)
“These 12 schools have made tremendous steps, with limited budgets, to bring literacy
activities to their schools,” explains Willner. “Combining the CLiF Year of the Book grant with
their existing initiatives will have incredible and long-lasting impact. CLiF is very proud to
partner with the dedicated staff, faculty, students, and families in these diverse schools.”
About the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF)
CLiF is a non-profit organization whose mission is to nurture a love of reading and writing
among children up to age 12 at higher risk of growing up with low literacy skills throughout
New Hampshire and Vermont. Since 1998, CLiF has supported and inspired over 350,000 young
readers and writers through its literacy program grants and has given almost $10 million in
new, high -quality children's books. For more information about CLiF, visit www.clifonline.org.
