Volunteers hand out free books
There are some troubling statistics surrounding illiteracy in Canada. 42% of Canadian adults between the ages of 16 and 65 have low literacy skills. Even more troubling, one child in four begins kindergarten in Canada without the skills to learn how to read. Students in grade 3 who report that they “like to read” dropped from 76% in 1998/1999 to 50% in 2010/2011.
It was statistics like these which inspired the creation of the Ottawa-based not-for-profit organization Twice Upon a Time.
Twice Upon a Time is the brainchild of librarian Alexandra Yarrow. Yarrow began working as a librarian at the Rideau Branch of the Ottawa Public Library in 2006. While working at the library, Yarrow experienced a magical moment when she read a book to a child who had never been read aloud to before. More and more, she noticed that parents visiting the library could not afford to purchase used paperback books for their children from the library's 50 cent sale shelves. Yarrow knew that even though Ottawa has an excellent public library system, kids also need books of their own at home to read and re-read so that the patterns of language and story become second nature.
During a visit to Toronto, Yarrow toured The Children’s Book Bank, a registered charity that provides free books and literacy support to children in low-income Toronto neighbourhoods. The Children’s Book Bank was founded by a group of Toronto volunteers in late 2007. The Book Bank now averages about 150-200 books given away each day.
This visit planted the seed for Twice Upon a Time. Yarrow put out feelers to see who might share her passion to make books more accessible to children in Ottawa. An enthusiastic group of volunteers responded and have been working since 2012 to create a non profit organization that collects new and gently used children’s books and gives them away. Twice Upon a Time recently began operating twice a week in Heartwood House, an organization based in Vanier/Overbrook that has been providing affordable accommodation to non-profit organizations in Ottawa for over 11 years. Children can visit as often as they like, and can take home to keep a book of their choice each time they visit.
The Ottawa Neighbourhood Study indicates that a high percentage of children living near Heartwood House are at risk for school failure due to Early Development Indicators, including socio-economic and health factors. Other studies have proven that the number of books in the home is correlated with school success. By facilitating book ownership, Twice Upon a Time helps strengthen literacy skills and school readiness.
Yarrow believes that a large part of the early success of Twice Upon a Time was due to making connections with similar organizations like The Children’s Book Bank that were willing to share their experience and advice. Yarrow credits “big-hearted Ottawans” - like the Awesome Ottawa Foundation - who have helped to get the project off the ground. Engaging and creating meaningful ways of including people who share her passion for children’s literacy “helped shepherd an idea towards reality.”