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CHICAGO — The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded a Youth Literacy grant in the amount of $249,056 to the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

ALSC will use the grant funds to administer a second round of mini-grants. Twelve of these $5,000 mini-grants will be awarded to ALSC members in public libraries to implement STEAM programming during out-of-school time, including after school and seasonal breaks. ALSC will also develop and share supplemental resources that will be made widely available to support the collaborative efforts of libraries their community partners.

“Youth serving librarians play a vital role in encouraging children to explore and expand their understanding of STEAM concepts,” said ALSC President Nina Lindsay. “ALSC is eager to support librarians in this work and thankful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for acknowledging its importance.”

With the funds from Dollar General, YALSA will provide mini-grants to libraries to support literacies-focused projects for and with underserved teens as part of ™ and programs. YALSA will also use a portion of the funds to provide collections of nominees to libraries in need and update the and .

“The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has been extremely instrumental in helping YALSA support teens in libraries across the nation,” said YALSA President Sandra Hughes-Hassell. “We’re so grateful for the continued support throughout the years and are looking forward to be able to continue providing support to the library community through our literacy initiatives.”

For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or for a complete list of grant recipients, visit .

Angela Hubbard

Program Officer for Projects & Partnerships

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)

312-280-1398

ahubbard@ala.org

Anna Lam

Communications Specialist

YALSA

800-545-2433, ext. 5849

alam@ala.org

About YALSA

The mission of the is to support library staff in alleviating the challenges teens face, and in putting all teens ‒ especially those with the greatest needs ‒ on the path to successful and fulfilling lives. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to , or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.

About ALSC

is the world's largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. ALSC's network includes more than 4,000 children's and youth librarians, children's literature experts, publishers, education and library school faculty members, and other adults dedicated to creating a better future for children through libraries.

About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $97 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 5.8 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, visit .