Books for Kids

Building Blocks for Lifelong Learning

Books for Kids encourages family literacy and provides free new and gently used books to children in need and to programs that serve them. The goal is to increase children’s access to books and  to build home libraries.

In keeping with our mission to partner with existing services that promote literacy, we gather strength from a team approach that includes a network of collaborative relationships with more than 300 organizations. These include the community-based health care, educational, social service and child care programs that interact with infants, toddlers, school-aged children and their families..

• *100,000 free books were distributed to children across the state last year through Books for Kids, directly from our office and through partnerships with hundreds of community programs.

Many of the books we distribute are donated to Read to Grow by individuals, families and children’s publishers, and by schools and community organizations that collect books for our programs. We house the books in our on-site warehouse where they are sorted based on topic and grade level. Families and providers of services to children and families can receive free books by completing an application outlining their specific needs.  Staff and volunteers select and pack books to be mailed, picked up at our office, or delivered if necessary.

Parents: Need books for your children? 
Follow the link to Family Application for Free Books.

Providers: Need books for your program? 
Follow the link to Program Application for Free Books.

Become a Books for Kids volunteer. Click here for Volunteer Application.  

Book Drives …Communities Coming Together to Make a Difference

Read to Grow’s warehouse bookshelves are replenished continually by generous individuals and community groups that donate books to us.

Most of the donations come from book drives run by schools, scout troops, small businesses, corporations and civic organizations. Information on how to run a successful book drive is available on this website in our Book Drive Toolkit, and when necessary, we help transport the collected books to our Branford warehouse. 

Run a Book Drive...

Running a book drive is a great way to support our program, give back to your community and make a difference in children’s lives. Click here to learn more. Our "Book Drive Tool Kit" will help you get started and provide a step-by-step guide for your project.

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