Tree House Books

AT TREE HOUSE BOOKS, OUR VISION IS THAT EVERY CHILD IN PHILADELPHIA HAS ACCESS TO BOOKS, AND EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE THEIR DREAMS. WE ARE ON A MISSION TO GROW AND SUSTAIN A COMMUNITY OF READERS, WRITERS, AND THINKERS. SINCE 2005, TREE HOUSE BOOKS HAS PROVIDED OUT OF SCHOOL TIME (OST) PROGRAMS THAT SPARK A LIFELONG LOVE OF READING AND WRITING IN CHILDREN FROM THEIR EARLIEST MOMENTS, THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND. OUR SPACE IS A WARM, SAFE HAVEN FOR CHILDREN TO EXPLORE THEIR INTERESTS. WE SUPPORT THE CRUCIAL ROLE FAMILIES PLAY IN CREATING A LITERACY-RICH ENVIRONMENT, AND ACTIVELY WORK TO PROMOTE FAMILIES READING TOGETHER AT HOME. EVERYTHING WE DO IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE INVESTMENT AND SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY.

GIVEN THE STRENGTH OF OUR PROGRAMMING AND THE GROWTH OF OUR BOOK DISTRIBUTIONS, IT IS FAIR TO SAY THAT 2023 EXCEEDED OUR GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS. PROGRAMMATICALLY, WE BOLSTERED OUR PARTICIPATION NUMBERS ACROSS EVERY LITERACY INITIATIVE, ADDED DYNAMIC NEW OPPORTUNITIES, AND GREW THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WE SERVED. IN PARTNERSHIP, WE CONTINUED TO SEE THE INFLUENCE WE ARE ABLE TO HAVE IN OUR NORTH PHILADELPHIA NEIGHBORHOOD. COMMUNITY EVENTS, OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES, AND AN EMPHASIS ON RECEIVING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK ALLOWED US TO SET PLANS IN MOTION FOR FURTHER GROWTH AND EXPANSION. OUR BOARD AND STAFF CONTINUED TO DIVERSIFY, AND OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS ARE HELPING UNDERGIRD DEVELOPMENT IN ORDER FOR US TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS IN 2024 AND BEYOND ONE OF OUR MOST IMPACTFUL NUMBERS THIS YEAR IS THE 93,348 BOOKS THAT WE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS, INCLUDING 18,178 THROUGH OUR TRAVELING TREE HOUSE BOOKMOBILE PROGRAM. THIS DYNAMIC PROGRAM, NOW IN ITS THIRD YEAR, MADE 316 UNIQUE STOPS TO 144 SITES. OUR GIVING LIBRARY COMMUNITY SPACE ON SUSQUEHANNA AVENUE ADDED 1,828 NEW MEMBERS AND HAD 7,486 VISITS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THERE WERE 50 BOOK DRIVES HELD BY OUR PARTNERS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND WE HAD 90 VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS. OUR LITERACY PROGRAMS WERE EQUALLY AS SUCCESSFUL. THE AFTER SCHOOL LITERACY STUDIO SERVED A TOTAL OF 19 STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 8TH GRADE. A HIGHLIGHT WAS AN ORIGINAL PLAY THEY CREATED BASED ON A RAISIN IN THE SUN TITLED, A RAISIN IN THE TREE HOUSE AND PERFORMED AT VENICE ISLAND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. OUR SUMMER LITERACY STUDIO SERVED 18 K-8 STUDENTS AND FEATURED AN END-OF-TERM TRIP TO THE JERSEY SHORE FOR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS ALIKE OUR SUMMER READING INTENSIVE, WORDS ON WHEELS, SERVED 186 YOUTH FROM 76 FAMILIES, TARGETING 55 OF THOSE READING BELOW GRADE LEVEL. 71% OF THOSE STUDENTS SAW AN INCREASE IN LITERACY LEVEL BY THE END OF THE SUMMER THE TEEN PROGRAM BECAME MORE TEEN-DIRECTED AS 31 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED. THEIR CALENDAR YEAR CULMINATED IN A SNEAKER BALL DANCE THAT WAS A HUGE HIT. A PILOT PROGRAM FOCUSING ON TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF THE CITY BROUGHT 6 STUDENTS AND 2 CHAPERONES TO WASHINGTON, DC WHERE THEY ATTENDED THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE. OUR IMPACT WAS FELT THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY AS WE RESUMED OUR POPULAR VISITS FIELD TRIP PROGRAM FOR THE FIRST TIME POST-PANDEMIC. WE ALSO EXPANDED OUR POPULAR PHILADELPHIA LITERACY DAY EVENT, TAKING UP 2 CITY BLOCKS AND FEATURING 12 AUTHORS, 47 COMMUNITY RESOURCE TABLES, A DJ, A PIE-EATING CONTEST, AND 688 NEIGHBORS. WE WERE HONORED TO WIN THE 2023 NONPROFIT IMPACT AWARD FROM PHILADELPHIA-BASED COMPANY GLAXO SMITH-KLEIN. WE WERE EXCITED TO PARTNER WITH THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES ONCE AGAIN AS THEY RAN A BOOK DRIVE AS PART OF THEIR PHANATIC ABOUT READING NIGHT. ORGANIZATIONALLY, OUR BOARD SAW THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSFER OF BOARD CHAIR, BROUGHT ON 2 NEW MEMBERS, AND SAID GOODBYE TO 3 MEMBERS WHOSE TERMS EXPIRED. WE ALSO DEVELOPED AND DEBUTED OUR NEW THEORY OF CHANGE, CREATED WITH DIRECTION FROM CONSULTING FIRM THE BRIDGESPAN GROUP. A LARGE PART OF OUR YEAR WAS PREPARING AND STRATEGICALLY PLANNING FOR OUR UPCOMING EXPANSION PROJECT. AS WE LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR THE ACTUAL PLAN, WE ENGAGED MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS OUR BOARD, STAFF, AND COMMUNITY. IN EARLY 2023, THE BOARD GAVE THE GREEN LIGHT ON AN EXPANSION PLAN THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF YOUTH AND TEENS WE ARE SERVING IN IN-HOUSE PROGRAMMING. THIS EXPANSION WOULD ALSO ALLOW US TO CREATE PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS TARGETING ADULTS, FAMILIES AND OLDER ADULTS. AFTER AN EXHAUSTIVE SEARCH, WE SETTLED ON A PLAN THAT KEEPS US IN OUR HISTORIC BUILDING ON WEST SUSQUEHANNA AVENUE, DEMONSTRATING OUR COMMITMENT TO AND LONGEVITY IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. A FEASIBILITY STUDY WAS COMPLETED THAT RESULTED IN INITIAL ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS, AN APPRAISAL WAS PERFORMED, AND WE MADE AN OFFER TO PURCHASE THE BUILDING IN LATE 2023. WHILE WE ARE STILL IN THE BEGINNING STAGES OF THIS PLAN, WE ANTICIPATE HUGE THINGS IN 2024