Nurturing a love for reading
Located on the second floor of the Daniels Spectrum building in Regent Park, The Children’s Book Bank brings parents, caretakers, and children together in a warm and welcoming environment.
Walking into The Children’s Book Bank, we knew we were in a special place. Located on the second floor of the Daniels Spectrum building in Regent Park, The Children’s Book Bank brings parents, caretakers, and children together in a warm and welcoming environment, with walls brightly painted and bookcases filled with picture books and toys, artwork and a comfy armchair in the corner.
As Executive Director of The Children’s Book Bank, Mary Ladky and her team have created a beautiful space with the mission of instilling strong literacy skills in children. The organization provides literacy support, programming, and books to those residing in high need neighbourhoods. She believes strongly that “reading is what helps us function through the day. It is essential to who we are. Children need the experience of turning pages.”
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Founded in 2008, The Children’s Book Bank has grown over the years, from a rented space on Berkeley Street to its current home in the Daniels Spectrum building. With the help of generous donors, the Book Bank has flourished and brought joy to thousands of families. “The charity started small and then grew, and expanded our programming year after year,” says Mary.
In 2022, The Children’s Book Bank gave away nearly 120,000 books to children in need. The organization also provides free books through community centres, schools, health clinics and social agencies. Storytimes for Students is a popular program which provides educators the opportunity to bring students to the storefront spaces to hear a story and take a book home for free.
With the help of generous donors, the Book Bank has flourished and brought joy to thousands of families.
Over the years, the Regent Park community has benefitted immensely from The Children’s Book Bank. “We have always had a long-term relationship with Regent Park. The community cares about the Book Bank, identifies with it, and relies on it as a service.” said Mary. As the organization expands, TCHC is an important partner for the Book Bank. “Our expansion beyond Regent Park means having important conversations in TCHC communities, including parts of Scarborough, Thorncliffe Park, and Jane and Finch.”
With demand for books increasing annually, Mary and her staff rely on the support of their generous volunteers and donors. Despite some of the challenges operating in a non-profit environment, the outcome makes it all worthwhile. One happy parent recently exclaimed, “Thank you for giving so very much to this community. The staff are amazing, very welcoming and kind. My son is reading! This place has made our lives better.”
The Children’s Book Bank currently has two locations: the Daniels Spectrum building in Regent Park and 561 Sherbourne Street in St. James Town.
To find out more about their programs and operating hours, visit childrensbookbank.com/children-families.
