The Barbara Bush Foundation S Reading Resource Library

Leo Migdal

-Dec 5, 2025, 10:47 PM

the barbara bush foundation s reading resource library

We use cookies to bring you the best website experience possible. Learn More Family literacy starts with adult literacy. That’s why the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy is committed to supporting adult learners nationwide. The Reading Resource Library is a tool created for educators to share with learners and features recommendations for topically relevant, educational, and captivating books for readers of all ages and levels. Start by selecting the specific release from the options below, then explore the Resource Guides for information like topic background, reading level, and even instructions on how best to use the Reading Resource Library.

For more support in teaching with these materials, explore the following resources: Instructor Planning Materials Civic Literacy Instructor Resource Guide Digital Literacy Instructor Resource Guide Financial Literacy Instructor Resource Guide Health Literacy Instructor Resource Guide Are you working with Advanced English Language Learners or students preparing for high school equivalency who need high-interest reading materials and activities? Look no further than The Barbara Bush Foundation’s Reading Resource Library! It provides book lists and classroom activity ideas for adult learners on topics such as civil rights, activism, gratitude, family and community, diverse America and more! View the Reading Resource Library collection slide decks (links below) to get a basic understanding of the texts in the collection to help you choose a title.

Here are the topics from Collection 1 with just a few example titles. Check out additional titles in the other three collections: Once you have a topic or book selected, refer to the Reading Resource Library Guides for each topic to get lexile level of the texts, activity ideas and support resources. Here’s a sampling: Civil Rights, Activism, Gratitude, Diverse America, Family and Community. Scroll to the bottom of this page to view links to each collection and its corresponding Reading Resource Library Guides. Finally, get help with planning lessons from the Instructor Planning Materials document that can be used with any title.

The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy is a non-profit organization, headquartered in Washington D.C., supporting literacy as fundamental to the success of both families and the U.S. economy. The foundation promotes access to resources to build a stronger, more equitable America through literacy.[1] The organization co-sponsored the Adult Literacy XPRIZE and produces a "Gap Map" literacy data mapping tool, the National Celebration... During Barbara Bush's time as second lady, while her husband was Vice President of the United States, she took an interest in literacy issues. She had previously coached her son, Neil, in reading, who was later diagnosed with dyslexia, and believed in family-based approaches to reverse illiteracy trends.[2] Barbara Bush was also inspired by a literacy conference in... The conference hosted Loretta Lynn and other notable people, and after the night was over, Barbara Bush, wanted to create a foundation that would "break the intergenerational cycle of illiteracy."[3] She subsequently began working...

Fred entitled C. Fred's Story, and donated all proceeds to literacy charities.[4] When her husband became president her most public cause was family literacy. She called it "the most important issue we have".[5] Six weeks after her husband's inauguration, on March 6, 1989, she announced the establishment of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, during a White... Bush's Story Time, a national radio program that stressed the importance of reading aloud to children;[7] some of the program's content is also included in the foundation's podcast by the same name, launched in... Barbara Bush became involved with literacy organizations, served on literacy committees and chaired reading organizations, and helped develop the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.[10] Some funding came from a book, credited to the...

The book reached #1 on The New York Times bestseller nonfiction list,[11] earning $1.1 Million of royalties to July 1991.[12] All of the after-tax royalties were donated to the foundation.[13] When the Bush Family left the White House in 1993, she continued her work of family literacy. By its 30th anniversary, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy had been described by CNN as "the nation's leading advocate for family literacy for more than three decades", which had helped raise over... The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation understands the importance of family literacy, right from the very start. In response, the Foundation created an exciting initiative called Raising a Reader which helps educate and equip parents to be their child’s first teachers. Raising a Reader parents learn about the importance of healthy brain development and early learning and receive a book and complementary resources to get them off to a strong healthy start.

Hospital staff, nurses, and physicians will engage with new mothers about their important role in their child’s literacy development, and instructional videos will play in the labor and delivery rooms in the hospitals. These videos will provide information about the research surrounding healthy brain development and early learning, helpful reading tips on how parents can support their child’s growth, including bedtime bonding and rhythm of speech, and... The human brain doubles in size in the first year. It keeps growing to about 80% of adult size by age 3 and 90% – nearly full grown – by age 5. For these reasons, the early years in life and the role moms and caregivers play as their child’s first teachers are vital to ensuring that babies get a strong and healthy start in life. Oral language is the foundation for the reading and writing skills children will develop as they enter and progress through school.

The more parents read, sing, and talk with their child from birth, the more equipped they will be to learn how to read. Parents are provided with a Raising a Reader welcome bag that includes: An indestructible book to read with your child The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy Board of Directors and the Bush family made a strategic decision to return to its original mission: operating primarily as a national grantmaking organization. As a result, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy will soon evolve into the Barbara Bush Fund for Family Literacy at the George & Barbara Bush Foundation.The George & Barbara Bush Foundation is... Mrs.

Bush’s commitment to literacy took root in 1978, when she realized that everything she worried about in life—from poverty to addiction to crime—could improve if more people could read, write, and comprehend. When her husband became Vice President, Mrs. Bush took the opportunity to explore her passion and began the groundwork for what would become the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy on a national scale.As First Lady, Mrs. Bush brought literacy to the attention of our country, calling it “the most important issue we have.” Mrs. Bush launched the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy on March 6, 1989, to support parents with unmet literacy needs so they could learn alongside their young children. The National Literacy Act was signed by President George H.W.

Bush on July 25, 1991, offering millions of adults in the United States the opportunity and resources necessary to return to education and earn their high school diplomas.For more than three decades, the Barbara... We use cookies to bring you the best website experience possible. Learn More All the things I worry about in life would be better if more people could read, write, and comprehend. Throughout 2025 we are honoring the 100th anniversary of our founder’s birth through the Barbara Bush Centennial. Featuring special events across the country and the launch of new programmatic initiatives, this yearlong celebration honors Barbara Bush’s legacy of literacy.

We were joined by New York Times bestselling authors Claire Lombardo, Dani Shapiro, and Chris Whitaker as part of a three-day series of events honoring Barbara Bush’s 100th birthday in Kennebunkport. The Foundation has partnered with Jane Win, celebrated creator of meaningful coin jewelry and charms, on a limited-edition collection in honor of Barbara Bush’s Centennial. Earlier this month, Dorothy Bush Koch, honorary chair, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy (BBFFL) and board member of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, announced the BBFFL will return to its original mission... As a result, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy will soon evolve into the Barbara Bush Fund for Family Literacy at the George & Barbara Bush Foundation. Rather than operating its own family literacy programs, the Fund will amplify its impact by investing in existing well-respected national and community-based organizations. “This transition represents a return to the roots of Mom’s literacy work: providing direct support to reach the families and communities most in need,” Koch said in a statement.

“Mom chose her beloved cause of literacy based on a simple, but powerful belief: ‘If more people could read, write, and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the... Subscribe to East Wing Magazine to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. Barbara Bush pioneered a literacy movement across America and believed that learning how to read, write, and comprehend was a fundamental human right. Using her platform as U.S. First Lady, she placed her cause of literacy at the forefront of our nation’s priorities, advocating it to be an economic, social, and moral imperative. Mrs.

Bush gave generously and selflessly for more than three decades to raise awareness of our country’s pervasive literacy crisis and to garner increased support through volunteerism and funding so that more families had access... She also held with conviction that two-generation approaches of family literacy were paramount in breaking the generational cycle of low literacy – that if we teach parents how to read, they will, in turn,... Thus, Mrs. Bush played a significant role in the passage of the National Literacy Act of 1991, through which countless adults received a second chance at learning how to read and becoming empowered with the competencies... Mrs. Bush’s indelible legacy lives on through her namesake foundations – the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, and the George & Barbara Bush Foundation.

Indeed, we are the living legacy of Barbara Bush and remain grateful for the many generous donors who contribute their time, talent, and treasure to bettering the lives of others through literacy. Mrs. Bush’s vision of literacy for all continues to inspire us, and she shall forever remain a beacon of light for the countless individuals who live in the darkness of low literacy. The U.S. Postal Service revealed the artwork of a commemorative Forever stamp to celebrate the centennial year of former first lady Barbara Bush’s birth. On June 10, 2025, The United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp honoring the life of Barbara Bush, wife of the 41st president, George H.W.

Bush, first lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, and mother of the 43rd president, George W. Bush. How will the Barbara Bush Fund for Family Literacy work to address our country’s literacy challenge?Creation of the Fund represents a return to Barbara Bush’s original vision and approach to building a more literate... Rather than operating its own family literacy programs, the Fund will amplify impact by investing in well-respected national and community-based organizations already doing extraordinary work on the ground. It will help ensure that much-needed funding continues to reach high-quality literacy programs, while maintaining the spirit and intent of the generous donors who have supported this vital work over the years. Why is this transition occurring?After thoughtful reflection and discussion, the Bush family and the Barbara Bush Foundation’s Board of Directors made the strategic decision to return to Mrs.

Bush’s original vision for her literacy efforts: providing direct support through grants to community-based family literacy programs across the country. They believe that creation of the Barbara Bush Fund for Family Literacy at the George & Barbara Bush Foundation is the natural next step in the evolution of the work that she cared about... The George & Barbara Bush Foundation is dedicated to preserving the historic legacies of President and Mrs. Bush. It currently fulfills that mission by supporting and promoting education and service-oriented programs at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum and the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University.

The George & Barbara Bush Foundation’s Board and staff are proud to serve as the strategic partner in this next chapter of work to continue Mrs. Bush’s remarkable legacy of family literacy. Who will provide oversight, administrative, and advisory services for the Barbara Bush Fund for Family Literacy?The Board of Directors of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation will hold fiduciary responsibility for the Fund and... Their goal is to ensure that all resources and gifts made to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy or the new Fund continue to directly support and advocate for family literacy across America. Additionally, the Fund will draw on the expertise of a robust network of national family literacy experts to help preserve and advance Barbara Bush’s legacy of literacy.

The Barbara Bush Foundation S Reading Resource Library

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