Funding will be used to establish a new book collection for preschool students and their families. The collection will provide access to current, age-appropriate, and engaging books that families can enjoy together. By expanding the availability of high-quality children’s literature, this project will encourage early literacy, support family engagement, and help foster a lifelong love of reading among young children..
The Jefferson West Preschool received a $3,000 competitive grant from the Northeast Kansas Library System (NEKLS).
The goal of the NEKLS School Grant program is to help school libraries renew and/or expand their print and/or electronic collections during Fall 2026. Funds could also be used to support author visits to schools. The program was available to any member school libraries in the northeast region of Kansas. Eighteen libraries from ten school districts were selected to participate in this grant cycle.
“School libraries deeply enrich the lives of students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and we are excited to hear about the results of these grant programs,” explained Michael McDonald, director of NEKLS.
About the (school/library): Jefferson West Preschool was established in 2025 when the preschool first opened its doors. At that time, all of the current books and reading materials were generously donated by individuals and supplemented with materials from Jefferson West Elementary.
During the preschool’s first year, Kayla Hofstra took on the responsibility of organizing, processing, and preparing all donated books for student use while also serving as a paraeducator. She did an amazing job ensuring that our preschool students had access to engaging lessons and reading materials. We are incredibly grateful for her dedication, time, and commitment to providing meaningful learning opportunities for our youngest students.
This year, the preschool library is being expanded through grant funding. The staff and students are excited about the opportunity to add new, current, and developmentally appropriate books to our collection. This expanded library will provide preschool students and their families with greater access to high-quality literature and support early literacy, classroom learning, family engagement, and a lifelong love of reading.
About NEKLS: Northeast Kansas Library System (NEKLS) is one of seven Kansas Regional Systems of Cooperating Libraries. NEKLS is dedicated to providing universal access to exceptional library service through its 117 member libraries (11 academic; 48 public; 50 school districts; 8 special) in the 14 counties of Northeast Kansas through the cooperation and peer support of NEKLS member libraries, and the assistance of the NEKLS staff of library consultants.