Our library funds our AR program but at the end of the year when we have honors day pto buys the top 5 kids in each grade a $50 gift card to Barnes&Noble. The kids get very excited. We also give all the kids that reach their points a trophy.
Our AR program is funded by our district. It has been incorporated into our school's curriculum. The children that reach their their AR goals each semester are treated to a field trip, usually a movie or bowling party. Initially, I think their were some grants or title 1 money to get it started, but now their is not much to it, so the district picks up the cost.
Our PTO funds it although our techincal resource admin (librarian to you and me) is in charge of the account. We have a pretty well established program so it doesn't cost much year to year at this point.
Our PE teachers use the money collected from their shirt sales to fund the give aways for the program. They are the best I tell you.
We have the accelerated reading program and it is funded just like yours. We have allocated one half of one of our book fairs to the resource center account, which is a technical way to say library. Our Librarian uses these funds for books and the accelerated reading quizes/program, which used to be covered by the town, but no longer. We even have accelerated reading ball caps and patches that are awarded. The hats were once provided by the town, but the Librarian wished to have the Accelerated Reading patch sewn on and didn't have the funds, so we took this on as well.
Our two buildings have AR and the funding comes from different areas. We won a Reading First grant year before last and so alot of new books were ordered. They could not purchase tests with that money, so the PTA bought them to the tune of $1000....all for one CD of tests! Shoulda been made outta gold!
I believe our Title 1 money covers some of that also, but our librarian has never had a budget for them.
Sylvan Learning has an on-line reading/testing site that I need to give a real good look over and see if it might be worth suggesting to our Programs Director. It's free so I'm not sure why we couldn't use it along with or maybe even instead of AR. They even have prizes. bookadventure.com/
My last school had AR. The PTO funded a portion of the library. There were also funds from the district and any grants the superintendent was able to get for the year. The librarian uses grant funds first, district funds second and then PTO funds. The PTO does not limit what the funds can be used for within the library.
However, when we ran a Market Day program, all profits from that were used strictly for library books and quizzes.
As for reward programs.... We tried the store and ran it similar to yours, where students used points as money to buy things. It was a twice a year nightmare. The kids loved it but there were too many problems
We switched to a goals program built around a particular theme each year. At certain point increments, students earned a new goal. Some goals were prizes such as candy, toys, pens, pencils, etc. Others were getting their picture on the library wall, name in the newsletter, got to lead the pledge over the intercom, "teacher's choice" and of course the many wonderful free item coupons that McDonalds, Monical's Pizza, Dairy Queen and local businesses donated. Our AR Prize Patrol set up a table every other Thursday afternoon to hand out prizes to students who'd reached goals that week.
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