Feel Good Friday - Books for Wider Horizons

Did you know this week is National Library Week? What a perfect time to shine a spotlight on Books for Wider Horizons. 

Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Oakland, California, Books for Wider Horizons  (BWH) is a program of the Oakland Public Library that recruits, trains, and places volunteer story readers in preschool and childcare centers throughout the city. The program began as a partnership between the Oakland Public Library and the City's Youth Services, and now BWH sends volunteers into Head Start centers and preschool sites each week to read aloud to children who might otherwise rarely experience the joy of a good book.

The mission is simple: support early literacy development and nurture a lifelong love of reading. Many of the kids served by BWH have few books at home and limited access to adults who read aloud to them. Volunteer readers fill that gap in a deeply personal way, showing up week after week to the same classroom, building real relationships with children and teachers, and becoming a familiar, beloved presence. Teachers report that volunteers are treated like rock stars. As someone who started volunteering with this organization at the beginning of the year I can confirm! Our storytime sessions always end with a giant group hug.

Volunteer readers come from all walks of life. They are students, retired teachers, and professionals on their lunch breaks. Bilingual readers are especially welcome, bringing multilingual storytime experiences to classrooms where many children are English language learners. The volunteer training sessions are engaging and informative and leave you well equipped to lead a weekly storytime at your assigned preschool. It’s amazing how much reading, singing and movement you can do in a 25-30 minute session. 

If this sounds like something you'd love to support, here's how you can get involved. Join the waitlist for the next volunteer training at Books for Wider Horizons and bring your joy of reading to an Oakland preschool classroom. You can also amplify their work on social media by following the Oakland Public Library on Bluesky, Facebook or Instagram and sharing their stories of joy and learning with your network.

Happy National Library Week!