Summary
Organization name
BookTrails
2015
Tax id (EIN)
47-2838786
Category
Education
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Colorado State Tax Credits
Colorado Child Care Credit
Address
68 9th StreetSteamboat Springs, CO 80487
Routt County, CO, US
BookTrails combats childhood illiteracy by teaching reading and writing skills through outdoor adventures and experiences. The Reading Ranch takes students away from the confines of the classroom and into the wilderness to read, imagine, and pretend they're a character in a favorite book.
Testimonials
"My children loved having real activities that connected them with books."
"My daughter increased her confidence in reading in a group setting. She was really excited about the books they read."
"All the activities around the book made it all come alive."
"During the camp you read from 5 different books - our son now wants to read all of them."
Mission
BookTrails mission is to inspire children of varied backgrounds to develop a life-long love of reading, a passion for the outdoors and respect for the natural environment by participating in fun, outdoor-based experiential reading programs at our Reading Ranch in Clark, CO.
These are our guiding principles:
Environmental Stewardship: We operate sustainably and use our ranch as a teaching tool for responsible resource use.
Inclusivity: We embrace diversity and create a welcoming environment for all campers, promoting respect and appreciation for each individual’s unique background.
Safety: Ensuring the safety of our campers is our highest priority. We maintain rigorous policies to provide a secure and supportive environment.
Collaboration: We value our community partnerships and continuously seek input to enhance our campers’ experiences.
Continual Improvement: Feedback from campers, parents, staff, and community partners drives our commitment to ongoing enhancement.
Reading-Love: We bring literature to life in engaging ways that nurture a lasting love for reading.
Fun: We blend reading with adventure and creativity, making every camp experience enjoyable and memorable.
Background Statement
Emily Osterman (Executive Director) founded BookTrails in December 2011 with the goal of starting a reading and writing summer program. She came into contact with many local parents while working at her family’s bookstore in downtown Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Parents expressed their desire for more summer opportunities for their children that encouraged reading and education alongside adventure and outdoor play. Osterman further researched literacy rates in Routt County and found that English scores for third grade dipped to the 20th percentile. This was a shocking revelation that sparked her desire to improve literacy education in the community.
Osterman, along with her family, responded to this need by launching BookTrails Camp, a reading-themed summer day camp. Both strong and struggling readers thrived in this summer camp environment. The gifted readers enjoyed the opportunity to read more and participate in creative reading activities, and the struggling readers improved their skills through exposure to multi-sensory learning and positive role models. BookTrails Camp went so well after the inaugural summer that parents asked for programming to continue into the school year.
Osterman then planned and implemented the BookTrails School Year Program, now called the Scholar's Program. Many parents asked for scholarship funding to be able to send their children to BookTrails programs. Osterman recognized the need to develop the BookTrails Scholars Program, a fiscally sponsored 501(c) (3) non-profit organization of Colorado Student Care.
In its current form, the BookTrails Scholars Program is a targeted initiative that provides summer literacy education to at-risk youth. Participants are referred by their teachers and enjoy a week at camp with their peers, complemented by weekly literacy classes throughout the summer. Additionally, the program includes a year-long homework class to help participants stay on track during the school year. All students in the BookTrails Scholars Program face the dual challenge of learning the English language while struggling with reading skills. The program offers consistent literacy education to 30 to 40 students. Once a child becomes a BookTrails Scholars in first grade, they remain in the program every year until ninth grade and then have the opportunity to work at the camp as junior staff. BookTrails and our Scholars make a mutual commitment: we promise to provide ongoing summer literacy education and mentorship, provided they maintain regular attendance.
Since its inception, BookTrails has served over 1,500 local children, averaging 220 per year. In 2016, BookTrails began the Reading Ranch Capital Project to build a permanent home for their programs and allow expansion to serve more children. The capital project is in its final phase and has raised XX dollars as of November 2024.
Media gallery
Organization Data
Steamboat Springs, CO 80487