100 Women Who Care Guelph has chosen Guelph Public Library’s Rosa Rattray Early Literacy Fund to receive its most recent approximately $20,000 donation helping them to continue servicing their early learning programs in partnership with Guelph General Hospital.

Established in 2017, the Rosa Rattray Early Literacy Fund (RRELF) was created  to help ensure that every child in our community has the chance to discover the joy, confidence and opportunities that literacy can provide.

Imagine a child who doesn’t have any books at home or a child without reliable access to educational resources or even someone to read to them? For that child, the literacy gap starts early and it grows quickly.  In Guelph/Wellington County, one in three senior kindergarten students is considered vulnerable in at least one area of early literacy development.

The fund (RRELF) makes possible Early Literacy Stations at all Guelph Public Libraries, Playaway Launchpads filled with educational content geared for young users, STEM Robots and Technology Tools that make learning fun and interactive plus books, toys and hands-on materials designed to inspire curiosity and growth.  They help children build vocabulary confidence, curiosity and a lifelong level of learning.  The library also started a program called Reading Buddies where team volunteers provide services to parents who don’t know how to teach their children to read.

As our community becomes more culturally diverse, the Library’s main website page is in different languages with access to information on how to get a library card, where the libraries are located plus available resources.

Their Born to Read program at Guelph General Hospital and extended to midwives provides welcome bags to each child born in Guelph and contains a child’s first book plus information regarding early literacy and the services provided by the RRELF.

Visit www.womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100WWCG and help support those in need in our community.