ATTENTION TEACHERS: 2022-23 IN-PERSON field trips are here! New Haven Reads offers field trips for Pre-K through 5th grade classes in the Greater New Haven area. Students will have an opportunity to choose 5 free books to take home and hear a story…or a few! Spread the word — we look forward to seeing you this school year!
To sign up click here, find the date you would like, and sign up through the link.
If you have any questions, you can check out our FAQ
We are officially on summer recess, but our Book Bank will is open. Read below for our hours for the next few weeks.
Week of 8/15-8/19 Monday, August 15th: 12pm-4pm Tuesday, August 16th: 12pm-4pm Wednesday, August 17th: 12pm-4pm Thursday, August 18th: 12pm-4pm Friday, August 19th: 12pm-4pm
Week of 8/22-8/26 Monday, August 22nd: 12pm-4pm Tuesday, August 23rd: 12pm-4pm Wednesday, August 24th: CLOSED Thursday, August 25th: CLOSED Friday, August 26th: CLOSED
Week of 8/29-9/2 Monday, August 29th: 12pm-4pm Tuesday, August 30th: 12pm-4pm Wednesday, August 31st: CLOSED Thursday, September 1st: 12pm-4pm Friday, September 2nd: 12pm-4ppm
Name: Lizz Ladd Hometown: West Hartford, CT College and Major: Loyola Marymount University, BA Recording Arts Tutor Site: Willow Clubs: Math Club, Performing Arts Club Favorite Childhood Book: Good Dog, Carl
I first learned about New Haven Reads during a gap year serving with AmeriCorps. I came to the book bank to get books for the school I was serving at and I fell in love with the work of New Haven Reads. When I heard about the internship program, I knew that I wanted to be involved.
Interning this summer has taught me about youth and education through a nonprofit lens. I’ve learned about the many ways that New Haven Reads supports the community and shares the joy and power of reading. I love how New Haven Reads is student-centered and that each staff member is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that the kids receive an excellent literacy education and receive the support that they need to be successful readers. It’s incredible how dedicated they are to serving the New Haven community.
One program that I’ve become involved in is the math club. A staff member was telling me that a few summers ago, parents were asking for math support for their kids in addition to literacy support. Since New Haven Reads is always looking for ways to better serve families, the interns were asked to facilitate summer math programing. Twice a week, my volunteer helpers and I meet with students ranging from 2nd grade to 7th grade and work with them on different math skills. It has been a great experience to help students feel confident solving math problems and a great way to reinforce our students’ math skills before they return to school in the fall.
I’ll never forget the first student I tutored here. When my student, a little first grader, arrived at Willow, I learned that it was her first time here. She was a little shy at first, but once we got into our tutoring hour she began to loosen up more. About halfway through our session, she turned to me and said, “I love this place!” My heart melted!
I’m so grateful to KeyBank for the opportunity to be a part of New Haven Reads this summer and work with such incredible students. Thanks to this opportunity, I have been offered the position of Assistant Site Director at Willow following the end of the internship program. I’m so excited that this internship brought me to New Haven Reads and that I have the opportunity to continue supporting this wonderful organization and their students moving forward.
College and Major: Albertus Magnus College, Class of 2023; Sociology
Tutor Site: Science Park Clubs: Math, Arts & Crafts, Performing Arts
Favorite Children’s Book: The Divergent Series
I was familiar with New Haven Reads before I started this internship. I volunteered at New Haven Reads during my senior year of high school to fulfill my community service hours. During the couple months of volunteering here, I worked in the Pre-K and Kindergarten program assisting the students one day a week. I didn’t know the full extent of what other opportunities New Haven Reads had other than tutoring students until I started working at Literacy Volunteers and saw their tutoring programs during the school year. Being a summer intern here has given me the opportunity to see just how much is actually going on, and to be a part of it.
This summer I have been involved with Math, Arts & Crafts and Performing Arts enrichment clubs. In the beginning, I was kind of nervous to do these clubs, but throughout these past couple weeks running them, they have been easier than I expected them to be. Seeing the students’ faces light up when we start lights up my whole experience working with them, making this experience so much better. Having the help from other tutors and also the site team has helped me a lot and I’m grateful for them being there.
The students make the whole experience great. In the beginning, it took some time for the students to get to know me and get to know them. Throughout these weeks, I’ve developed bonds with the students I’m tutoring, running the clubs, and co-leading clubs because they see you every time you work with them and you get to know who they are and I share so many laughs with them. I get so excited coming in to work with the students and working with other tutors because you see so many backgrounds of tutors and students and it just makes this whole experience great. I also appreciate the site team at Science Park for making me feel at home and being there every step of the way, thank you guys.
I want to thank KeyBank for giving me the chance to be a part of all the amazing things that are happening at New Haven Reads. I’ve absolutely loved my time here; I would be honored to come back again and possibly work at New Haven Reads and continue tutoring to change the lives of the students in New Haven.
While summer is a great time to rest, relax, and have fun, it is also the perfect time to read!
Summer reading is important for young readers to continue learning, grow in their social-emotional development, and discover the joy and power of reading. Sitting down and reading with your child is also a great way to spend time together and share important lessons. To help you get started, we’ve put together our top 5 picture books to read with young readers this summer.
1. I Am Perfectly Designed by Karamo Brown A beautiful book about a father-son relationship, this story shares all of the lessons Karamo taught his son while he was growing up. This is a great opportunity for a parent to share with their child that they are perfectly designed and to help instill a sense of self-love and confidence.
2. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn Another great story about the parent-child relationship, The Kissing Hand is from the perspective of a little raccoon who needs reassurance as he faces his first day at school. His mom finds an unforgettable way to reassure him whenever he feels scared. This simple story has beautiful illustrations.
3. Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman This story is all about the power of imagination and staying true to yourself! Grace wants to play Peter in her school’s production of Peter Pan, but her classmates point out that Peter was a boy and that he wasn’t Black. However, with the support of her family, Grace learns that she can be anything she wants to be. Amazing Grace will help you to teach your child that they can be anything they want to be, no matter what other people say.
4. We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio “Look with kindness and you’ll see wonder.” This book is the perfect tool for families to talk about empathy and kindness with young children. The story is written from the perspective of Auggie, a young boy who was born with a facial deformity. He talks about how other kids see him differently from them, even though he feels like any other kid. He says, “I can’t change the way that I look, but maybe people can change the way they see.” This story taps into every child’s longing to belong, and to be seen for who they truly are.
5. Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go To School! by Christina Geist In this fun, role-reversal story, mom, dad, grandma, and even the dog beg the kids to let them come to school. This story is helpful for parents with kids who are nervous about going to school. It portrays school as a desirable privilege that only kids and teachers get to have, and shows them that they are ready to take on the classroom!
So, there you have it! Our top 5 picture books to read with your kids this summer. We hope these stories help you to inspire your young readers and share with them some valuable life lessons. Happy reading!
Name: Owen Lamothe Hometown: Hamden, CT College and Major: Middlebury College, Arabic and International Politics and Economics Tutoring Site: Bristol Street Clubs: Chess and Math Favorite Childhood Book: Goosebumps Series by R.L. Stine
When I first walked into the Bristol Street site on January 31st, 2019, to interview as part of the process to be a tutor, I would never have expected that I would have the opportunity 3 years later to experience all that New Haven Reads has to offer. I was a busy high school freshman who could only come into tutor 1 hour a week, and for that small window of time, I always took the chance to observe the staff, tutors, students, parents, and everyone in between all coming together to learn and have a blast while doing it. This feeling remained constant throughout my three years at Willow Street. When I found out about the KeyBank Summer Intern position, I jumped at the chance to join the community in a larger role.
My favorite part of the summer so far has been leading and helping with the Bristol Street summer clubs. New Haven Reads is a community of learners, no matter what role everyone plays. When I lead the chess club, I’m surrounded by eager chess students and volunteer helpers that bring a lot of chess experience to the club. Every meeting people meet each other where they’re at and we have so much fun playing chess, getting to know each other through icebreakers, and beating the heat inside at the chessboard. As someone who is passionate about language learning, I had a really meaningful day on July 20th, when I had to put my Arabic skills to the test to help translate information about the Vision to Learn program. In moments like these, being a KeyBank Intern at New Haven Reads allows me to interact with many members of the amazing greater-New Haven community and for that I am extremely grateful.
It is amazing to be back in-person with New Haven Reads this summer! Every day when I walk into the Bristol Street site I can sense the same sense of enthusiasm amongst everyone there. I am so lucky to be able to dive deeper into this community and help support our students in having a fun and productive summer. Thank you to the entire New Haven Reads organization and community for this opportunity. I also sincerely appreciate KeyBank for this internship opportunity. Thank you and have a great rest of the summer!
We were so happy to welcome Governor Ned Lamont and Senator Gary Winfield to New Haven Reads today! They talked with students in our tutoring program and in our Arts and Crafts Club. We appreciated the opportunity to discuss how NHR is addressing the impact of the pandemic on student learning and well-being.
Read more about the Governor and Senator’s visit here.
Name: Delianne Ayala Ramos Hometown: Fajardo, Puerto Rico College and Major: University of New Haven Class of 2024; Forensic Science Tutor Site: Science Park Clubs: Math, Performing Arts Favorite Childhood Book: The Velveteen Rabbit
I had never heard of New Haven Reads until I received my placement for my university’s fellowship program. As soon as I was able, I did a deep dive into what New Haven Reads is and what they do for the community. At that point, it was all very abstract, but once I started working I was able to see how New Haven Reads makes sharing the joy and power of reading the focus of everything they do.
During the summer, I’ve worked in supporting the Education Department and with Math Club. I grew up loving math, so I was very excited to be a part of this club. The best experience I’ve had so far is seeing the children’s faces light up when they see a topic they know well. I love letting them teach me and giving them the chance to be confident in themselves. I had so many teachers that believed in me, and it changed how I perceived myself.. Now I get the chance to be the person who believes in them.
Another amazing part of working here is forming connections with the students. One noteworthy experience happened just last week as my student and I talked during choice time. She told me about her nationality, which just happened to be the same as mine. Then she told me about the rainforest her family lived on, which is the same my grandparents live on as well. As she revealed more details, we both saw how similar we were. She then went on to tell me about how she wanted to be an author and write stories for a living, and I felt so inspired by this young girl with such big dreams. Let’s just say I look forward to reading all the books she may write in the future.
Working with New Haven Reads has been life-changing. I never had a reason to want to stay in the Greater New Haven Area past graduation, but now I can’t help but imagine a future in which I can continue working with New Haven Reads to make a difference in the lives of the kids in our community.
Ruth Beardsley has been involved with NHR since joining us as tutor in 2009.
Over her 13 years as a tutor, Ruth has helped over 20 students increase their literacy skills with hundreds of hours of tutoring.
Ruth joined the Board in 2016 and became President in 2019 for a three year term which ended this month. We have benefitted tremendously from her leadership, expertise, and support! As Board President, Ruth played a fundamental part in guiding New Haven Reads through the pandemic so we could continue to offer highly impactful program all within our mission of sharing “the joy and power of reading”. Ruth has been a dedicated and thoughtful Board president.
Ruth and her student Throne
While Ruth is saying goodbye to being on our Board, she will continue to be a tutor and will serve on a couple committees. We are extremely grateful to her for all her terrific years of Board service and are glad that she will continue to be part of our New Haven Reads family
