Our Mission

To promote language skills and literacy for children, beginning at birth, and to support parents as their babies’ first teachers.


Our Vision

Every family will understand the critical importance of early childhood literacy and will take an active role in their child’s reading development. All children in Connecticut will have books of their own.


Core Values

  • We are committed to making books a part of every child’s life from birth.
  • We are committed to supporting families playing a central role in their child’s early language and literacy.
  • We are committed to collaborative work with parents, partner organizations, and other community groups.
  • We are committed to financial sustainability.


Board of Directors

Monette Ferguson, Ph.D., Chair
Executive Director, Alliance for Community Empowerment

Carla M. Horwitz, Ed.D., Vice Chair
Lecturer, Yale Child Study Center & Department of Psychology; Director Emerita, Calvin Hill Day Care Center & Kitty Lustman-Findling Kindergarten

Jane Lee, M.B.A., Treasurer
Economic Development Coach/Consultant, All Our Kin, New Haven

Lori McInerney, Secretary
M.S., Infant/Toddler Development, Bank Street College; Parent Mentor, Bridgeport Hospital NICU

Barbara Clerkin, R.N.

Joshua A. Copel, M.D., Professor, Division of Maternal–Fetal Medicine, Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, and Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven

Joel Cruz, M. Th. Senior Director, The Institute for the Hispanic Family & Family Strengthening Programs, Catholic Charities, Hartford

Mary Kay Curtiss, C.P.A., M.S.P.A., Principal, Clifton, Larson, Allen, LLP, West Hartford

Jennifer Groves Fusco, J.D., Principal, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C., New Haven

Lisa Maass, President, Citizens Bank CT, New Haven

Anna Reiter, Campaign Manager, Geologist

Roxanne J. Coady, Founder and Board Emeritus
President and Owner, R. J. Julia Booksellers, Madison

Karen Pritzker, Board Emeritus

Staff

ADMINISTRATION

Suzannah Holsenbeck, Executive Director
[email protected]

Kascia Williams, Program Director
[email protected]

Paula Grimm, Data Director
[email protected]

Kimberly Garner, Office Manager
[email protected]

Shitu Rajbhandari, Grants Writer
[email protected]

Deja Senna-Leslie, Communications Coordinator
[email protected]

Lynn Dorsey, Transportation Associate
[email protected]

PROGRAMS

Books for Babies

Laura Noe, Books for Babies Manager
[email protected]

Vicki Roberts, Books for Babies Coordinator
[email protected]

Books for Kids

Linda Sylvester, Books for Kids Co-Coordinator
[email protected]

Evelyn Tomasello, Books for Kids Co-Coordinator
[email protected]

Bookmobile

Pam Katynski, Bookmobile Manager
[email protected]