2007: Elizabeth Mosher received a grant from Wayne Finger Lakes Teachers’ Resource Center, and Budding Readers began serving families in the Bloomfield, NY school district community.
2008: Malinda Quick, a retired Bloomfield teacher, created the Budding Readers logo we still use today.
2009: Budding Readers expanded to its partnership with the Finger Lakes WIC (Women Infants & Children) program in Canandaigua, NY.
2011: Budding Readers began serving the Midlakes school district community.
2012: A program began in the Canandaigua school district community, in cooperation with selected agencies, to serve low-income families.
2012: Community Programs began in the Marcus Whitman, Naples, and Red Jacket school district communities.
2012: Our volunteers began attending birthing classes at F. F. Thompson Hospital to gift bundles of books to expectant parents and talk with them about the importance of daily reading with their babies and children.
2012 – 2014: Budding Readers served families at Geneva WIC, and created the program now maintained by Geneva Reads.
2013 – 2015: Annually gifted a new book to each Kindergarten and/or UPK student in each of our eight communities.
2017: A program began in the Victor school district community, in cooperation with selected agencies, to serve low-income families.
2017: A partnership was formed with Healthy Families Ontario County to provide books and printed parent education for the at-risk families they serve.
2018: Eligibility to receive community bundles was increased from under 24 months of age to 36 months of age.
2019: A partnership was formed with Family Promise Ontario County to provide books for children when families “graduate” and are successfully employed and in independent housing.
2019: Budding Readers became Budding Readers, Inc. and became an independent 501(c )3
2021: Budding Readers registered with the New York State Charities Bureau.
2023: Bundles are no longer restricted in the Canandaigua and Victor school district communities. Any child 36 months of age living in those communities is now eligible to receive a bundle of books.
2023: Books are given three times per year to every entering UPK, Kindergarten and First Grade student in the eight Ontario County communities that we serve. In addition, each of their teachers receives eight books to use in their classroom.
2022 to present: Budding Readers has increased the number of community programs, both in Ontario County and beyond that we cooperate with to provide books for the children they serve. Please see the “Partnerships” section for more details.