About Us

The Beginning

In the fall of 2007, a love of books, a  group of local educators and children’s book sellers, and a community connection resulted in the formation of Capital BookShare.  The goal to contribute to the advancement of student literacy levels in low performing, under resourced schools coupled with the belief that all children deserve access to good books in their schools led us to begin to provide thousands of free, new and gently used books for teachers to choose and take back to their classrooms.  Turning the Page, an organization that links Washington, D.C. public schools, families and the community, became a guide and partner as they introduced us to the public schools in which they ran programs.  In the spring of 2008, having collected 7,000 books for teachers in seven elementary schools, we held our first Teacher BookShare Events in schools in Southeast Washington, DC.  By the 2009/2010 school year and thousands of books later, a Teacher BookShare Event was held at a different individual school each month.  In the spring of 2010 we received our 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation.

From Here On

Growth!  For an ever increasing number of schools we are collecting more books to bring to more Teacher BookShare Events.  In order to be flexible in our support, we must remain conscious of the changing needs of our teachers and schools.  As we grow, we will focus on our straightforward goal of increasing literacy by supporting teachers with reading resources for their classrooms.  We are committed to continuing our work while always remaining mindful of ways to make our work more efficient, more cost effective and aligned with the needs of the teachers.

Into the Future

In time, we hope to hold annual Teacher BookShare Events in all DC Wards 7 and 8 schools that need great books in their classrooms.