Wisconsin Book Sharing Projects Continue to Expand

Over the past 20+ years, the technology has changed, but the mission remains the same.

Begun in 1989 at the Wisconsin Resource Center with incarcerated parents reading children’s books into cassette recorders and sending the books and tapes home to their children, parent-child book sharing projects have evolved to using videotapes, CDs, and DVDs. But the goals of the projects have remained constant: To strengthen the bond between incarcerated parents and their children and to promote literacy among both inmates and their children.

Over the years, the book sharing projects have expanded to 13 Wisconsin institutions and involve over 1000 inmates each year. Some institutions informally prep the parents before the recordings are made, while others require the parents to complete a structured class. Some institutions provide an added incentive of special visiting privileges for inmate participating in their book sharing project.

In March, another institution was added to the list of those hosting book sharing projects when Governor Scott Walker and 2012 Miss America Laura Kaeppeler joined DOC Secretary Gary Hamblin to announce the launch of a new inmate father-child reading program at Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility (RYOCF). RYOCF houses 450 offenders aged 15 through 24 who have been sentenced as adults. Over 200 or about half of the institution’s population are fathers of more than 360 children. RYOCF’s "Book Bridge" Program is part of his Governor’s statewide Read to Lead initiative aimed at increasing reading proficiency in schools and improving literacy rates across Wisconsin.

Miss America said the Book Bridge Program will provide incarcerated parents with a vital link to their young children and help maintain relationships that are critical to the development and wellbeing of children. Kaeppeler, who is from Kenosha, spoke from personal experience as the child of a father who served time in federal prison.

Miss America said she knows firsthand how essential it is for a child to stay connected with a parent who is incarcerated. “I personally know the challenges and struggles of growing up with a father who was incarcerated for a time,” Ms. Kaeppeler said. “This is an incredibly important program that will benefit children and families who are anxious to maintain and strengthen their connections with a parent who is currently serving a sentence in prison.” She encourages fathers to take part in the Book Bridge Program as a way of maintaining a relationship with their children. And she said she is “truly honored” to be a part of it.

The five-week Book Bridge initiative is designed to simultaneously help both inmate fathers and their children improve their literacy skills. Offered ten times throughout the year to an average of 15 inmates per session, the program will accommodate inmates with multiple children and allow as many as 200 children to participate in the program. Designed to increase the literacy skills of both incarcerated fathers and their children, the program involves fathers recording themselves reading age-appropriate books to their children. Those recordings, along with copies of the books, will then be given to the children so they can follow along in the book while listening to their parent read.

The effects of the program will stretch beyond improved reading skills, Secretary Gary Hamblin explained. “No skill is more fundamental to their future success than reading,” Hamblin said. “It is an important part of the bridge to success for both the parent and the child.”

The program will be funded by the state with $10,000. DOC Secretary Hamblin said the investment is money well spent. “The vast majority of our offenders will be released into the community one day and the inability to read at a proficient level restricts their chances for a successful reintegration into the community,” said Secretary Hamblin. “This program also helps offenders improve their literacy skills so they can secure employment when they rejoin their families and lead law abiding and productive lives in the community.” Secretary Hamblin said helping inmates maintain contact with their families while they are incarcerated also has an impact on recidivism and decreases their chances of re-incarceration.

Inmate father participants will track the number of books and the amount of time they spend reading to their children during face-to-face visits or during the audio/video recording of readings sent to their children. At the end of the five-week activity, the number of books read and the amount of time spent reading to their children will be tallied. The information and the results of an exit survey completed by each participant will be tracked by staff at the institution to make sure the program is meeting its intended goals.

Wisconsin Book Sharing Milestones:

• December 1989 – Teacher Karen Brockhaus secures donations from Golden Books and UW-Oshkosh faculty organizations to begin Children’s Book Project at Wisconsin Resource Center
• March 1992 – Teacher John Bollig coordinates Visitors’ Book Project at Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution
• May 1996 – UW-Oshkosh instructor Dr. Margaret Gensio is awarded a Barbara Bush Foundation Grant to start Breaking Barriers with Books Program at Oshkosh Correctional Institution. Participants are allowed extra visiting time to read with their children.
• December 1997 – Mid-State Technical College teacher Marianna Ruprecht starts Holiday Book Project at Marathon County Jail
• April 2003 – Wisconsin Humanities volunteers begin FatheRead Program at Oakhill Correctional Institution. The program was picked up by Community Connections in 2004.
• March 2004 – Teacher Diane Birch establishes Fathers Sharing Books Project at Stanley Correctional Institution
• April 2004 – R. E. Ellsworth Correctional Center organizes Mothers Support group which hosts guest speakers on topics important to incarcerated mothers, including reading to your child.
• August 2004 – Cheri Wontor starts FatheRead at New Lisbon Correctional Institution
• November 2004 – Racine Correctional Institution teacher Barb Rasmussen and R. E. Ellsworth Correctional Center teacher DeNeal Ericksen attend MotheRead/FatheRead training and establish programs at their institutions. Participants are encouraged to create storybooks for their children.
• February 2005 – Cheri Wontor establishes FatheRead at Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility. Books for the program come from First Book who provides free books for low income families from publisher donations.
• July 2005 – The Parent Special Interest Group created in Wisconsin by Jerry Bednarowski, Diane Birch and Mary Dahl becomes a national Correctional Education Association Special Interest Group. One of its goals is to promote book sharing projects.
• July 2005 – Teachers Jane Boyle and Cheryl Edwards begin For Love of Reading Relationships program at Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution to educate fathers about children’s literature
• October 2005 - Chaplain Deborah Mejchar begins Read to Me Program at Fox Lake Correctional Institution and Fox Lake Minimum Correctional Institution.
• January 2007 – Chaplain Deborah Mejchar lobbies to have visiting policies changed at Fox Lake Correctional Institution to allow more father-child interaction, including additional time for reading in the visiting area.
• February 2007– Family Connection Network volunteers implement Reading Connections Program at Taycheedah Correctional Institution. Completion of the Active Parenting Program is linked to special visiting privileges. The Family Connection Network provides follow-up community support for many of the participants
• January 2008 – Teacher Randy Scott begins United through Reading Project at New Lisbon Correctional Institution. Participants create activity booklets for their children
• January 2008 – Chaplain Deborah Mejchar establishes Read to Me Project at Redgranite Correctional Institution
• May 2009 – Stanley Correctional Institution’s Fathers Sharing Books Program receives The First Lady Jessica Doyle Award for Family Literacy