Nearly $100K Worth Of New Books Added To Wyckoff Classroom Libraries

WYCKOFF, NJ — A giant collection of new picture and chapter books will help Wyckoff students develop literacy skills and encourage creativity in the young learners.

Nearly $100,000 worth of new books now stock Wyckoff classrooms in an effort to improve student learning and engagement using print materials and increase literacy across curriculum, according to schools Superintendent Kerry Postma.

Courtesy of $780,000 in emergency relief funds provided to the district through the federal American Rescue Plan, enacted in March 2021, Wyckoff schoolteachers were allotted a dollar amount with which to buy books for their classrooms to support curriculum and meet student needs and interests.

"We are happy to be able to use these funds to effectively bring students and staff the resources and support they need to grow and thrive," Postma said.

In addition to new books, the federal aid has been used to provide professional development for staff, strengthen mental health services, improve indoor air quality with new unit ventilators (univents), and support before- and after-school and summer programs, the superintendent said.

The ARP's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) was allowed only to be used on categories that include, for example, learning support and acceleration, mental health support, air quality improvement, and before- and after-school programs.