The Cranford Education Association (CEA), in partnership with the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), has provided funds for the Cranford Public Library Foundation’s Room to Read fundraising effort. The $2,500 grant, written by Cranford High School Librarian and PEP Chair, Christine Szeluga, was awarded through NJEA’s Public Education Partnership (PEP) grant program.

The PEP program provides grants to New Jersey public schools to foster community-wide growth and education by addressing local issues such as passing school budgets, combating privatization, and promoting teen driver safety. 

The Room to Read program at the library is raising funds to provide a family-friendly space for Cranford residents, once the Children’s Room construction is completed. The initiatives include a child-friendly digital learning area to encourage interactive and technology-based education, as well as an expanded collection of children’s books and resources to broaden the reflected backgrounds and age groups of young readers. There are also plans to create reading nooks, interactive spaces, and special zones for story hours, family workshops, and community events. You can read more about the Children’s Room construction project here.

These additions to the library, with the assistance of the CEA grant, stand to encourage creativity, learning, and collaboration within the Cranford community, especially in the younger generations. 

To be a part of this initiative or to honor the legacy of someone in your life who loved learning and reading, you can donate to the Room to Read foundation here, which launched with a generous $10,000 donation from the Cranford Jaycees.