Community libraries for children are one of the four programs we started with in 1993 when began working in Pune.
Membership of these libraries is offered to all the children in the communities who wish to practice their reading.

At the end of 2007, Door Step School is working with 69 schools in Pune under 'Reading Class' program, reaching more than 18,000 children (252 children this year), 40 of these schools are under Pune Muncipal Corporation (PMC) and 29 are under Pimpri Chinchwad Muncipal Corporation. The focus of the program is on children aged between 6 and 10, from 1st Standard to 4th Standard. Door Step School works with Municipal Schools and provides ‘book fairies’ to each class once a week. These two book fairies distribute books to each child, help with reading, tell stories to nurture a love of books and play games to increase vocabulary. These programs have been very successful and are a particularly cost-effective way to reach children. The annual cost per child is approximately 200 rupees ($5 US).

Reference Libraries

Our reference libraries (Sandarbh Vachnalaya) are for children from 1st through 10th standard who need a place where they can sit undisturbed and focus on their studies.

First generation learners face many impediments to education. Though their parents have a strong interest in sending them to local municipal schools, they are unable to provide any additional learning aids. At the Door Step School reference libraries we supplement parental motivation with learning resources such as study classes, a library and computers.

Facilities:

We have 7 facilities in Pune and Mumbai. We have shelves, desks and cabinets in rooms that act as libraries. Blackboards and notice boards have been added and maps adorn the walls. In at least one location we have computers. Our effort is to create a fun educational environment where children want to come and learn.

Activities:

1. Study Classes
Teachers employed from the local community help primary school children master the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.

2. Children's Library
Our library has storybooks and picture books to engage and stimulate small children who do not have access to such materials at home.

3. Reference Library
Workbooks, guides, sets of question papers, dictionaries, and maps that are not easily accessible to older children are available at our library. The librarian on duty guides them when needed. Our center is also a refuge where kids can study in a quiet environment.

4. Computer Center
Children have access to 5 computers in this facility that supplement the meager time they get on computers at school. We see this as a great way to get kids excited about learning and a powerful tool to implement flexible learning programs catered to children at every skill level.

Future:

The number of children making use of these facilities is the success of this project. This has energized us into expanding the scope of reference libraries. In various locations we plan to:
Create separate areas for the self-study group so that they are not disturbed by the other activities.
Add computers to facilities and an Internet connection to one facility that already has computers. This will enable children as well as teachers to access the wide range of educational assets on the web.
Acquire audio/video equipment to screen educational programs.
Add an outdoor area where children can play and activities like gardening can be introduced to create awareness about the nature and environment.
We are always open to new ideas that will diversify education and help reach out to more children.

Support:

We started the reference libraries in Mumbai and Pune without any financial supporter, recognizing a great need to provide children with books and a place to study. Today, we have overcome the crippling issue of having access to a permanent space in at least one facility with funds from donors. With your continued support we hope to get permanent space to run our libraries and equip them with teaching aids. Currently, we run this project with funds from individual donors.

Library at Local Municipal schools

Door Step School takes books, and with it imagination and creativity, to young students at municipal schools who have little or no access to books during regular academic classes. This service is offered with the objective of improving reading skills and ultimately children's academic performance.

Facilities:

A library class was introduced for 1-2 hours daily in the primary section of 12 municipal back in 1999. Today, we have 14 such libraries in schools in Mumbai and Pune. Approximately 5,000 children have access to books through our school library program.
Since we face a major difficulty in finding suitable Marathi books for children with lower levels of reading ability, we have published our own books, which are used in our libraries. Beginners need books with simple words, bold letters with minimum or no composite letter words. This year we have published nearly 25 such small and simple books. We have also prepared a Marathi dictionary for our children. The dictionary contains all the words in the books.

Activities:

1. Reading
We carry a variety of books to classroom each day. Children get their own choice of storybooks and other interesting books during their 'reading class'.

2. Book Fairies
Trained fairies read stories with props such as puppets to children. Fairies also distribute books, and maintain library records. They also give children a little guidance in selecting a book and help them to read if they stumble on words.

3. In addition we have a variety of activities aimed at improving children’s vocabulary, reading skills, and power of expression through words.
a. Wall Paper Exhibits: Children contribute songs, stories, poems and pictures to Wall Papers (like charts), which are displayed in classrooms. Some children even take editorial roles in this exercise.
b. Word Puzzles: Children get to solve word puzzles that stimulate reading and improve vocabulary.
c. Prize Distribution: Children who read the highest number of books receive prizes. The best fairies and supervisors also receive medals of honor.

Future:

Over the few years we have put this project in place the reading skills of children has improved significantly We would like to expand this program to more schools. In the future we would like to expand the program to more schools ,publish more of our small simple books and improve their quality by including pictures and colors.

Support:

In Pune, we cover 69 Municipal Corporation Schools under this programme. Our major funding partners are ASMAE and Forbes Marshall Ltd. ASMAE's donations cover 22 schools of the PMC (Pune Municipal Corporation) and Forbes Marshall covers 20 schools of the PCMC (Pimpari Chinchwad Corporation). The remaining 5 schools are covered by an individual donor, Mr Rahul Shah.

Community Libraries

To make books available to children in their homes is the motivation behind running community libraries. We spread the love of reading in several communities.

Facilities:

A volunteer, equipped with a box containing 100 books and register visits each community thrice a week. In 2002 close to 1300 books were circulated among 542 members. We have close to 15 functioning libraries at any given time.

Activities:

Children come and borrow books from these mobile community libraries. They pay a nominal monthly fee of Rs. 1. In some communities door-to-door libraries are run by volunteers who receive Rs. 9 per reader.

Future:

We would like to expand this project to various other communities.
We also plan to bring this mobile library to adults, especially women in communities.