Our Partners

One of our most important core values is collaboration. Together, we do more, and we do it better! To achieve our mission, Make Way for Books partners with hundreds of schools and preschools across 17 school districts, more than 150 other nonprofits, local businesses, community organizations, and literacy and early childhood initiatives across the state. Thank you to our incredible partners who are helping to make a tremendous impact in our community. See below to learn more about our diverse partnerships!

And learn more about our core values, including collaboration!

Partner Highlight: Rotary Club of Tucson

Rotary Club of Tucson and its Foundation selected Make Way for Books to receive a major portion of the net proceeds, estimated at $50,000, of their Tucson Classic Car Show for the next five years. Funding from Rotary Club of Tucson allows us to travel out into the community to reach the 4 out of 5 children who do not have access to quality preschool or childcare. With their support, we transform locations like social services offices, community food banks, the Tanque Verde Swap Meet, and laundromats into mobile early literacy "schools without walls," where children and parents learn together.

According to Rotary Club of Tucson member, and former Club President, Phil Gutt, "Absent the solid foundation of adult reading and comprehension, it is nearly impossible to meet the challenges of daily life and of raising a family. Children learning to read well by third grade benefits them as well as society - helping those who have yet to reach that level is the goal of the literacy programs Rotary supports.”

Rotary Club of Tucson is a tremendous partner to Make Way for Books and goes above and beyond to support our youngest children. Rotary Club members have collected book donations, provided volunteer support for events such as the Downtown Holiday Parade, and connected children and families with free tickets to events like Disney On Ice. We are beyond grateful for the generous support and partnership of Rotary Club of Tucson!

Systems-building Partners

To achieve our mission, we believe in working together to build and improve the early childhood system. This means working with more than 150  local, regional, and national partners, more than 200 under-resourced preschool and childcare centers, and local elementary schools. Make Way for Books partners with First Things First, The Helios Education Foundation, and the Cradle to Career Initiative to work to improve our educational system. We co-chair the First Focus on Kids Kindergarten Readiness Change Network, working to move the needle on the number of children who are kindergarten ready in Pima County.

Make Way for Books also believes passionately in providing experiences to help shape the next generation of educators and change-makers. To that end, we partner with our local high schools, colleges, and several departments and schools at The University of Arizona to provide internships and learning opportunities for students in our community interested in early childhood literacy.

Read On Arizona and Read On Tucson

Make Way for Books is proud to be a partner of Read On Arizona, a statewide, public/private partnerships of agencies and organizations working to create and coordinate services to improve literacy outcomes for children in Arizona. As a part of Read On Arizona, Make Way for Books has had the opportunity to work with the Lectio Institute at Harvard. In addition, Make Way for Books co-leads Read On Tucson with United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona and Literacy Connects.

Cover to Cover Partners

Rotary Club of Tucson is a major partner and supporter of Cover to Cover, our program that meets families out in the community with early literacy programming. Our partners and sites for programming include the following:

Clinica Amistad

Refugee Focus--CENTER

Tanque Verde Swap Meet

Community Food Bank

WIC Clinics

Apartments and Mobile Home Communities

Flowing Wells Unified School District

Empire Laundry

Tucson Unified School District Family Resource Centers

Quince Douglas Library

Eckstrom-Columbus Library

Valencia Library

Community Outreach Partners

Arizona Early Intervention Program

The Child Language Center at the University of Arizona

Child-Parent Centers, Inc. (Head Start)

First Things First

Good Neighbor Ventures-South Park Community Action Group

Knowledge River-University of Arizona

Literacy Connects Coalition

Pima County Public Library

Read On Arizona

Read On Tucson-United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona

Sunnyside Literacy Council

Tucson Area Reading Council

Tucson Children’s Museum

Tucson Festival of Books

MWFB for Babies & Toddlers Partners

Amphi Parents As Teachers

Casa de los Niños

Child and Family Resources—Healthy Families

Easter Seals Blake Foundation

First Focus on Kids Family Support Alliance

Marana Parents As Teachers

Nogales Family Resource Center

Parent Aid

The Parent Connection

Pima County Public Library

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona

Parent Literacy Workshop Partners

Pima County Public Library

Child-Parent Centers, Inc. (Head Start)

Tucson Unified School District

Sunnyside Unified School District

The Story Project Partners

For profit childcare centers and preschools throughout southern Arizona as well as preschools affiliated with the following school districts:

Ajo Unified School District

Altar Valley School District

Child & Family Resources

Child Parent Centers

Continental School District

Easter Seals Blake Foundation

First Things First/Quality First

Pima County Public Library

Sahuarita Unified School District

Sunnyside Unified School District

Tucson Unified School District

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona/READ ON Tucson

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona-First Focus on Kids

Vail School District

Book M.A.G.I.C. Partners

Amphi Parents As Teachers

Casa de los Niños

Easter Seals Blake Foundation

Marana Parents As Teachers

Nogales Family Resource Center

The Parent Connection

Pascua Yaqui Health Department

Pascua Yaqui Library-Dr. Fernando Escalante Library

Sunnyside Parents As Teachers

Teen Outreach Pregnancy Center

Teenage Parent High School

Blue Book House Project Partners

Theresa Lee Public Health Center (PCHD)

FosterEd Program

Littletown Community Center

Casa de los Niños-Angel Nursery

Casa de Los Niños-Main Office

City of Tucson Housing

Family Center of the Conciliation Court

Desert Senita Community Health Center - Ajo

Arizona Children's Association/Parent Connection

Emerge

Primavera Foundation HIP

Clinica Amistad

Department of Economic Security-Irvington

El Pueblo Center (El Rio Network)

Reachout Women's Center

Department of Child Safety--Wetmore

El Rio Dental Clinic

Amado Food  Bank

Sopori

Flowing Wells Family Resource Center

Supercuts – Foothills Mall

Youth on Their Own

La Frontera Child and Family Services

La Frontera Wakefield Afterschool Program

Clinica de Alma WIC

Kool Smiles, 6th Ave.

Casa de los Niños-Presidio Counseling

Devereux - Emma's House Family Visitation Center

Consulado de Mexico (Mexican Consulate)

Department of Economic Security--Alvernon

Pima County Juvenile Court

Pathways (Northwest Office)

Marana WIC at Erickson Elementary

Our Family Alvernon

Our Family Bellevue

Our Family 2nd St.

Kool Smiles, 22nd St.

Pathways (El Dorado Place)

Soaring Heights (DM)

Teen Outreach Pregnancy Services

Department of Child Safety--Broadway

Department of Economic Security - Fort Lowell

Marana WIC at Healthy Beginnings

Marana WIC at Marana Main

Northwest Medical Center Healthy Beginnings

Easter Seals Blake Foundation

Easter Seals Blake Foundation

Project Amor

Easter Seals Blake Foundation-Fort Lowell

Casa de Los Niños-Great Beginnings

Casa de los Ninos - Behavioral Health Office

Easter Seals Blake Foundation-Broadway

Pima County Health Department

Christ Church Clothing Bank