The Breckenridge Independent School District Library Services is a recent recipient of a grant that will help support English Language Learners (ELL). BISD announced Thursday, Aug. 14 that they received a $5,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF). The grant project is entitled “Cultivating Reading Confidence for English Language Learners.” 

The funds will help the school district’s libraries purchase books for their English language learners across all four campuses to help support the learners’ overall reading confidence. District Librarian Abby Moore said that she had applied to one of the Youth Literacy grants from the DGLF last April. The nationwide literacy foundation offers grants each year for various literacy initiatives and programs, with grants being awarded across the country for a maximum of $5,000 each. 

The Youth Literacy Grant that Moore had applied for is open to schools, public libraries and non-profit organizations that help K-12 students that are below level or having trouble reading. 

The grant funding is provided to assist in the following areas: 
Implementing new or expanding existing literacy programs 
Purchasing new technology or equipment to support literacy initiatives 
Purchasing books, materials or software for literacy programs 

“This is the first time I have ever written a grant, and I honestly wasn’t sure I would get it. Many of my fellow librarian colleagues have missed out on the DGLF grant before, so I went in with low expectations,” Moore said. “I was so thrilled to find out that I received it!” 

Moore described that for the past 17 years that she has been a librarian, one of the biggest challenges has been providing enough books for students who enter BISD schools with little to no English skills. 

“These students, known as English Language Learners, often feel overwhelmed as they adjust to a new school environment,” Moore said. “Many are fluent readers in their home language, and having access to books they can understand provides comfort, confidence, and a way to stay connected with their love of reading.” 

Moore said that up until now, she had stretched her book fair earnings to purchase some Spanish-language materials for the campus libraries, since most of their ELL students speak Spanish – with some Vietnamese and other language speakers.

 “Unfortunately, my regular book budget is only about $3,000 per campus per year, so it has been difficult to purchase enough high-quality books in other languages on top of the necessary purchases we make each year,” Moore said. “That’s why I applied for this grant. My project, titled ‘Cultivating Reading Confidence for English Language Learners,’ will allow us to build a stronger collection of books in students’ home language, as well as bilingual and lower-level English materials to support language growth.” 

Moore stated that each of the four campus libraries at BISD will receive about $1,250 worth of new materials—roughly 60-70 books each—dedicated specifically for their ESL students. 

“While this won’t create a huge collection overnight, it’s an important step forward,” Moore said. “Ultimately, my goal as a librarian is to help all of our students become lifelong readers. For our English language learners, that means giving them stories they can enjoy right now, in the language they understand best, while also supporting their journey toward learning English. Thanks to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, we’ll finally be able to provide that in a meaningful way.” 

Besides BISD, 62 other programs in Texas received the grant, among 711 programs nationally.