What We Fund

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

The reach of the Library goes beyond books. The DeKalb Library Foun­da­tion rais­es funds beyond tax dol­lars to enhance library pro­grams that might not oth­er­wise exist. Dona­tions sup­port inno­v­a­tive ini­tia­tives for library patrons.

Below are a few exam­ples of pro­grams sup­port­ed by funds from the DeKalb Library Foundation.

  • Take the Inter­net Home with You ini­tia­tive is an effort to bridge the dig­i­tal divide in DeKalb Coun­ty by offer­ing 300 hotspot devices for check-out for patrons who may not have inter­net access in their own home.
  • 1000 Books Before Kinder­garten encour­ages and sup­ports par­ents to read ear­ly and often with their babies and young chil­dren in order to start a life­long jour­ney of reading. 
  • Sum­mer Read­ing Pro­gram encour­ages youth to con­tin­ue read­ing over the sum­mer with incen­tives and spe­cial pro­gram­ming. Read­ing over the sum­mer helps stu­dents keep their skills up and reduces the chance of the sum­mer edu­ca­tion­al slide.
  • Rais­ing Resilience in part­ner­ship with Children’s Health­care of Atlanta Strong4Life which pro­vides care­givers and teens with skills to weath­er life’s ups and downs.
  • Project LIT sup­ports stu­­­dent-led book groups that aim to get young peo­ple excit­ed about read­ing by high­light­ing diverse, high-inter­est, and cul­tur­al­ly rel­e­vant books.
  • The Geor­gia Cen­ter for the Book pre­serves Geor­gia’s rich lit­er­ary her­itage by host­ing free author talks and spon­sor­ing lit­er­ary events and programs.
  • Sto­ry­Walk® is a delight­ful and inno­v­a­tive way for chil­dren and adults to enjoy read­ing and the out­doors at the same time. Read a sto­ry as you stroll through park!