A Proposal in Support of First Book Programming to the Latah County Community

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Submitted by First Book (First Book UI Campus Advisory Board)
April 18, 2014

A. Organizational Information

The Latah County Chapter of First Book (Officially known as First Book UI Campus
Advisory Board) was established in 2004 by Moscow community members who saw a lack
of literacy support for young students. As a national organization, First Book partners with
publishing companies to provide discount books purchased through an online book bank
called the First Book Marketplace, and the average price is $2.50 per brand-new book.
Students eligible for the program must exhibit both academic and financial need.

First Book grants funds to purchase books through the First Book Marketplace. Books are
selected by teachers for individual students, personalizing their experience. In rural
communities like Latah county, public and school libraries do not have weekend hours. So
access to books outside of the school day is highly limited.

Current projects are involvement in 6 school programs which First Book presently
operates with. First Book seeks local schools that show documented financial and academic
need. Last school year, First Book supplied about 1,500 books to students. Latah County
Schools involvement with First Book varies. First Book has been unable to incorporate all
schools in Latah County. Receiving this grant will be beneficial toward working to include
more rural schools, such as Deary and Bovill.

First Books primary fundraiser is the Spaghetti Feed & Read. This event provides
spaghetti dinner to parents while their children choose a free book and an interactive read-
along with the help of volunteers from Sigma Tau Delta (the University of Idahos English
Honors Society) and Pi Beta Phi Sorority (also at UI).

In the 2012-13 school year, First Book donated 2,443 books to 542 students with a budget
of $6,100. In the 2013-14 school year, those numbers became harder to meet with 1,588
books donated to 500 students with a smaller budget of $3,790. The funds from LCCF will
counter the loss of one of First Books fundraisers while First Book brainstorms new
fundraising ideas.

First Book is a unique organization to Latah County. No other organization allows for
students to take home a brand new book of their choosing and call it their own. The rural
libraries in the county have no weekend hours for children to check out books, and some
communities do not have bookstores. Checking out a book also does not provide the sense
of ownership that building a home library can. Also, having age appropriate books in the
home increases opportunities to practice reading, improves skills and cultivates enjoyment.



A Proposal in Support of First Book Programming to the Latah County Community
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More than 80% of all funding goes directly to purchasing books. This success is made
possible by volunteers from the community, the university faculty, and the student body.
Sigma Tau Delta Honors Society partnered in 2008 with First Book to create the Campus
Advisory Board, which supplies the student volunteer on the board.

B. Purpose of Grant

First Book Advisory Board requests $1,500 to fund book purchases in Potlatch
Elementary School and to launch a training program for Potlatch teachers in order to
increase First Books influence in Latahs rural communities.

Too many of Potlatch 5th graders test below the basic level, with 1 in 8 students struggling
in reading and language. Reading is a lifelong necessity that provides access to opportunity,
and improving literacy rates will ultimately improve the quality of life in Latah County.
Increasing literacy rates in Latah County can lead to positive economic change throughout
the county in years to come.

The specific goals for this grant are to increase the number of books per student and to
educate Potlatch teachers on the process of buying books on the First Book Marketplace.

Potlatch would receive funds from First Book to buy books for their students in the First
Book Marketplace. The Marketplace provides teachers with the opportunity to select books
specifically tailored to their students reading level and interests. Because significant
percentage of Potlatch students meet the criteria of financial and academic need, the entire
school is eligible to receive books through the First Book program. Currently, First Book
can give only 2 books each to the 257 students at Potlatch Elementary. LCCF funds would
match this $1,200, so the students would receive 4 new books over the course of the school
year.

Last year, some Potlatch teachers saw the time commitment required of the First Book
Marketplace as a deterrent of participation. In response, First Book asked Rebecca Boysen,
a teacher who facilitates the First Book Program at Palouse Prairie Charter School, to offer
a tutorial on navigating the website. She has offered to give advice on streamlining the
process and lessening the burden for new participants. Boysen will train four new Potlatch
teachers in the use of First Book Marketplace to enable continued participation in the
program; LCCF funds would be used for materials for this learning session, travel
reimbursement, and a small compensation for her time and expertise. We believe this will
enable teachers to continue working with our organization, while helping us to improve
our organization simultaneously.

These activities would be carried out primarily by the volunteers serving on the First Book
Advisory Board (Listed in Attachment B). They would be assisted in actual distributions by


A Proposal in Support of First Book Programming to the Latah County Community
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volunteer University of Idaho English majors, Sigma Tau Delta Honors Society members,
and members of Pi Beta Phi Sorority.



Project Timeline

Month Task Volunteer
May-June 1. Order Books
2. Train Volunteers
3. Distribute Books
1. First Book Board
2. First Book Board
3. Board & Volunteers
September Solicit Feedback on Initial
Distribution
Nora Locken
January Train Potlatch teachers to order
books from the First Book
Marketplace to suit student needs
Rebecca Boysen
March Grant Evaluations (details in
Section C)
Nora Locken and First Book Board


First Books impact is significant because it is the only nonprofit organization in Latah
County providing limited income students with their own personal libraries. Each new
class of students entering school means there is another group of eligible students who
need books of their own; teachers do not have time or resources to effectively fundraise
money for books that students would take home.

The efforts of First Book in Potlatch will have long term impacts. Once First Book begins
work with a school, it makes serious efforts to remain with that school in order to continue
to work with them in the future. The academic empowerment of reading will enable
students to get better jobs and ultimately improve their community. First Book serves a
great need in Latah County. This funding would be invaluable for our growth as an
organization to serve a greater population within Latah County.

The training sessions described above are integral to long term strategies. First Book tries
to cultivate a culture of cooperation with these schools. Distributions have the potential to
be yearly. We hope to have a relationship with Potlatch in this capacity for years to come,
as well as strengthen relationships with communities outside of Moscow. First Book is also
developing new and creative fundraisers to support and sustain our efforts for the long
term.



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C. Evaluation

The First Book Advisory Board aims to improve literacy in Latah County and to cultivate a
love of reading. The first goal is to double the number of books distributed in Potlatch and
secondly to improve the quality of service that First Book provides. These goals are tracked
through questionnaires completed by teachers, students, and parents. Nora Locken, on the
First Book board, distributes the surveys twice a year, and provides a report to the Board.
The results are discussed to determine how program improvements can be made.

A measurable goal of this project is to increase the book distribution to Potlatch
Elementary School from 2 books per student to 4. Book distribution will be measured
through questionnaires completed by the teachers, which ask how many books were
distributed and to how many students. The questionnaires also seek information on the
quality, effectiveness, and ease of use of the First Book program. Examples of the questions
are:

Do you have suggestions of how First Book could better serve your program? Do
you have any comments about the available selection of books or the ordering
process?
Have you seen any improvement in the reading skills or interest in reading (or both)
from the students?
Do you recall comments made by parents at open houses, etc. where books were
distributed?

Another goal is to better match the program to local need. Students and teachers
responses to these questions offer the insight that First Book needs to tailor its program. In
previous evaluations, teachers requested more non-fiction books. Their requests were also
passed on to the national organization and have resulted in more non-fiction books now
available nationwide through the Marketplace.

In addition to improving the book selection, previous responses to these questionnaires
have given First Book useful information about how we can better assist rural
communities. The marketplace tutorials First Book is offering Potlatch is in response to
previous questionnaires that cited difficulty with the online program as a deterrent for
participation.

First Book Campus Advisory Board is also working on simplifying the response
process in order to lessen the time commitment that local teachers need to make to
First Book. Within the next few years, First Book intends to launch a program in
Troy and to re-engage Deary and Bovill schools. Success in Potlatch, and the input
their evaluations offer, will help reshape our approach to other county communities
in order to reach out to more students in Latah County.



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Attachment A: Financials and IRS Statement

The current budget based on funds raised for this year is $3800.

The following distribution occurred on March 31, 2014:

Palouse Prairie School: $300
(20 children, 6 books each = 120 books)

West Park & Russell: $880
(88 children, 4 books each = 317 books)

Plummer-Worley Success Center: $750
(60 students, 5 books each = 300 books)

Potlatch Elementary: $1280
(256 students, 2 books each = 512 books)
The Latah Foundation Grant, if received, would be added to this

Book Purchases for First Book Campus Advisory Board : $250
(for direct Book distribution like Spaghetti Read & Feed)

Miscellaneous needs: $340
(advertising for fundraisers, supplies, space rental, etc)



Attachment B: Email Board Members for Bios & Qualifications

Attachment C: Evaluation Questionnaires