“Small and mighty”—that’s the reputation of Michigan-based Leaps & Bounds Family Services, an early-learning nonprofit that is highly respected as a successful example of sustainability, collaboration and effectiveness in responding to community needs. Founded in 1988, Leaps & Bounds has been shaped by Executive Director Denise Dorsz and her team to respond to the early-learning needs of children and families especially in communities at risk.

In this book, you will learn how Denise and her team were chosen to be part of a nationally funded program to promote innovation. The book tells how they used that opportunity to expand into multi-lingual, culturally diverse neighborhoods—a huge challenge for such educational programs. For the first time, Denise and her team share their successful strategies and nuts-and-bolts tips for building an effective nonprofit focused on this kind of community-based work.

Readers visit one of Leaps & Bounds’ Play and Learn groups, step inside the organization’s highly regarded Home Visiting program, and hear from team members and parents in the program about why these approaches work so well. This book is ideal for general readers—parents, educators and community leaders who want to develop strong, local nonprofit organizations. It’s useful reading for classes and training sessions on becoming more effective in these professional disciplines. The book also includes specific tips you’ll want to share with others.

Look for other books in The Bib to Backpack Learning Series.