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Make Way For Books
Tucson, AZ · EIN 311583036 · Form 990 · FY2022 · NTEE B92 · Education · Medium ($1M-$10M) · www.makewayforbooks.org
revenue
$3.0M
expenses
$2.7M
net assets
$2.5M
employees
37
volunteers
56
program ratio
83%
mission · from form 990

The mission of Make Way for Books is to give all children the chance to read and succeed.

profile · synthesized from sources

Make Way For Books is an early literacy nonprofit that provides programs, services, and resources to young children, parents, and educators in southern Arizona. The organization focuses on building foundational literacy and language skills for children from birth to age five, aiming to ensure they are ready for school.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2022

what they reported doing

Program narrative the organization filed with the IRS. Ordered by program spending.

  1. #1 primary $889K
    Make Way for Books Professional Development Programs (The Story Project and Cuntame):This comprehensive early literacy strategy provides economically disadvantaged children ages birth to five with opportunities to discover the joy of books and develop early literacy skills. Our programs serve early childhood educators and home-based care providers, families, and children enrolled at under-resourced preschools, childcare centers, and home-based care settings throughout Arizona. Make Way for Books provides coaching and workshops for educators as well as high-quality books and literacy resources for classrooms and homes. Through increased access to books and daily exposure to meaningful literacy activities, 98% of children gained emergent literacy and language skills. Participating educators and parents learn strategies to share books to support their childs literacy and language development. (Continued on Schedule O)
named programs · 7 · from sources

what they call their work

Curriculum and Literacy Guides
Research-based strategies for integrating early literacy lessons and activities into preschool, childcare centers, or homes, including suggested titles, read-aloud tips, and extension activities.
Educator Video Gallery
Short, engaging videos to help educators support early literacy in preschool, childcare centers, or home-care environments.
Family Video Gallery
Videos for families on topics such as loving interactions, serve and return interactions, book handling skills, building vocabulary, developing early literacy skills, and reading with infants and toddlers.
High-Quality Books
Booklists in English and Spanish supporting literacy-rich environments for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, categorized by themes.
Make Way for Books App
Mobile application offering books, activities, and a learning journal for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, based on the Head Start Early Learning Framework.
Reading Challenge
Twice a year, childcare centers and family child care providers are invited to share five books a day with children for five days.
Story School
Weekly modules sharing books, songs, and activities to foster essential early reading skills like comprehension, phonological awareness, and vocabulary for children and parents.
activities · 5 groups

what they do

  • Early Childhood Literacy Resource Provision 20 activities
    • Caregiver Literacy Skill Development
      Offers early learning modules and resources that teach caregivers effective strategies for sharing books and literacy activities to support child literacy development, with 98% of participating parents/caregivers gaining skills and confidence.
    • Caregiver and Educator Literacy Training
      Provides early learning modules that teach caregivers effective strategies for sharing books and literacy activities to support child literacy development. Additionally, 99% of participating early childhood educators gain skills to more effectively support children in their care.
    • Caregiver and Educator Literacy Training
      Provides early learning modules that teach caregivers effective strategies for sharing books and literacy activities to support child literacy development, and helps early childhood educators gain skills to more effectively support children in their care.
    • Digital Book Access
      Provides access to a rotating collection of digital books for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, with a new book added monthly.
    • Digital Book Access and Literacy Activities
      Provides access to a rotating collection of digital books for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, with a new book added monthly, and offers reading-based activities including songs, play, and creative projects for caregivers and children. Caregivers can track completed books and activities, record favorite parts, and log new vocabulary words in a learning journal.
    • Digital Book Access and Literacy Activities
      Provides access to a rotating collection of digital books for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, with a new book added monthly, and offers reading-based activities including songs, play, and creative projects for caregivers and children. Caregivers can track completed books and activities, record favorite parts, and log new vocabulary words learned by children using a learning journal feature.
    • Digital Book Access and Literacy Activities
      Provides access to a rotating collection of digital books for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, with a new book added monthly, and offers reading-based activities including songs, play, and creative projects for caregivers and children.
    • Early Childhood Educator Training
      Provides training and resources to early childhood educators to enhance their skills in supporting children's literacy, with 99% of participating educators gaining effectiveness.
    • Early Learning Modules
      Provides early learning modules that teach caregivers effective strategies for sharing books and literacy activities to support child literacy development.
    • Early Literacy Skill Development Programs
      Shares books, songs, and activities weekly to foster early reading skills such as comprehension, phonological awareness, and vocabulary, and provides resources for parents to help their infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children develop reading comprehension. These programs serve over 30,000 young children, parents, and educators annually across hundreds of sites in Arizona.
    • Early Literacy Skill Development Programs
      Provides programs, services, and resources to over 30,000 young children, parents, and educators annually, sharing books, songs, and activities weekly to foster early reading skills including comprehension, phonological awareness, and vocabulary. These programs help 97% of participating children develop critical emergent literacy and language skills, and 98% of participating parents/caregivers gain skills and confidence to support their child's literacy.
    • Educator Skill Development
      99% of participating early childhood educators gain skills to more effectively support children in their care.
    • Emergent Literacy Skill Development
      97% of participating children develop critical emergent literacy and language skills.
    • Learning Journal Feature
      Provides a learning journal feature that allows caregivers to track completed books and activities, record favorite parts, and log new vocabulary words learned by children.
    • Literacy Program Delivery
      Delivers programs, services, and resources to over 30,000 young children, parents, and educators annually across hundreds of sites in Arizona, resulting in 97% of participating children developing critical emergent literacy and language skills.
    • Parent Resources for Literacy
      Provides resources for parents to help their infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children develop reading comprehension.
    • Parent/Caregiver Skill Development
      98% of participating parents/caregivers gain skills and confidence to support their child's literacy.
    • Pre-K Programming Outcomes
      75% of children who participated in Pre-K programming scored at or above benchmarks on standardized reading assessments in kindergarten through third grade.
    • Reading-Based Activities
      Offers reading-based activities for caregivers and children, including songs, play, and creative projects tailored to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
    • Weekly Literacy Resources
      Shares books, songs, and activities weekly to foster early reading skills including comprehension, phonological awareness, and vocabulary.
  • Children's Book Distribution & Reading Spaces 7 activities
    • Biannual Reading Challenge
      Organizes a Reading Challenge twice a year, where childcare centers and home providers share five books a day for five days with children, with over 140 classrooms participating in previous years.
    • Book Sharing through Reading Challenge
      Educators shared more than 3,550 books with children through the Reading Challenge.
    • Literacy Workshops at Preschools
      Began providing books and literacy workshops at five under-resourced preschools with the help of six volunteers.
    • Reading Challenge Organization
      Organized a reading challenge during which 120 classrooms shared over 3,000 books with children.
    • Reading Challenge Program
      Organizes a Reading Challenge twice a year, where childcare centers and home providers share five books a day for five days with children. In previous years, over 140 classrooms participated and shared more than 3,550 books, impacting nearly 30,000 children, families, and educators.
    • Reading Challenge Program
      Organizes a Reading Challenge twice a year where childcare centers and home providers share five books a day for five days with children, with over 140 classrooms participating and sharing more than 3,550 books in previous years.
    • Reading Challenge Program
      Organizes a Reading Challenge twice a year, where childcare centers and home providers share five books a day for five days with children. In previous years, over 140 classrooms participated, sharing more than 3,550 books, with one challenge involving 120 classrooms sharing over 3,000 books.
  • Early Childhood Education Advocacy 4 activities
    • Advocacy at State Capitol
      Joined early childhood advocates from across the state for a day of advocacy at the Arizona State Capitol.
    • Advocacy for Early Childhood Education
      Participates in advocacy efforts for early childhood education, including joining early childhood advocates at the Arizona State Capitol.
    • Advocacy for Early Childhood Literacy
      Engages in advocacy efforts for early childhood literacy, including participating in advocacy days at the Arizona State Capitol.
    • Advocacy for Early Childhood Literacy
      Engages in advocacy efforts by joining early childhood advocates from across the state for a day of advocacy at the Arizona State Capitol.
  • Early Childhood Education and Family Support 3 activities
    • Annual Service Reach
      Provides programs, services, and resources to over 30,000 young children, parents, and educators annually.
    • Impact on Children and Families
      Programming has impacted nearly 30,000 children, families, and educators.
    • Statewide Service Reach
      Serves children, educators, and families at hundreds of sites across the state.
  • Literary Awards Administration 1 activity
    • Award for Literacy Contributions
      Received the Library of Congress American Prize in 2022 for significant contributions to increasing literacy levels.
financials · form 990 · fy2022
revenue
Total revenue$2.97M
Contributions & grants$2.94M99%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$31K
expenses
Total expenses$2.74M
Program expenses83%
Admin / overhead11%
Fundraising6%
Salaries & benefits$1.82M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$2.89M
Cash$1.16M
Investments$0
Liabilities$347K
Net assets$2.54M
Liquid reserves5.1 mo
2 years on record · 2020–2022 · YoY revenue +49.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2022

who runs it

paid leadership · 4
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Jenny Volpe CEO 40 $95K
Melinda Englert Interim CEO 40 $73K
Fernando Gonzalez Interim COO 40 $60K
Ally Baehr Chief Operating Officer 40 $15K
board members · 17
  • Anne McLain — Director
  • Dan Puglisi — Director
  • David Lovitt — President
  • Felicia Durden — Director
  • Genny Matteuci — Secretary
  • Hannah Miller — Director
  • Jennifer Stewart — Director
  • Karyn Prechtel-Altman — Director
  • Lucy McCain — Director
  • Mary Jan Bancroft — Director
  • Nick Hilton — Director
  • Patricia Clay — Treasurer
  • Paul Bancroft — Director
  • Scott Ingram — Director
  • Stephanie Engs — Vice-President
  • Stephanie Pearmain — Director
  • Sunni Lopez — Director
relationships · 2

who they work with

  • Jumpsand Partner — Strategic Design and Development partner for Make Way for Books
  • WRITING CHANGE initiative Partner — Collaboration between Make Way for Books and the WRITING CHANGE initiative to advance writing and literacy.