A new initiative at the Ruth Staples Child Development Lab School at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is expanding literacy opportunities for young children and future educators through the Windsweep Farm Scholar Award and Literacy Projects.
The initiative provides funding to enhance literacy-rich environments at the lab school, including the purchase of books, learning materials and hands-on literacy experiences. The program also supports development of an outdoor library designed to extend reading and storytelling activities into the school's outdoor classroom space.
“The Windsweep Farm Scholar Award not only benefits children but also empowers future educators to think critically about how they design and support literacy experiences,” said Jenny Leeper Miller, director of the Ruth Staples Lab. “It’s an investment in both current learning and the future of early childhood education.”
The initiative also supports teacher preparation. Each semester, student teachers at Ruth Staples participate in selecting literacy materials and implementing teaching strategies designed to support literacy development.
Each year, one student teacher is selected as a Windsweep Farm Scholar. The award recognizes a student who demonstrates a passion for literacy and a commitment to supporting children's reading and language development.
The Windsweep Farm Scholar Award provides $10,000 to support early-career educators during their first year of employment. Recipients use the funding to design and implement literacy-focused experiences in their classrooms.
The award was established through a gift from Pam and Dr. Rick Reinhardt of Lincoln. The gift was made through the University of Nebraska Foundation.
Pam Reinhardt earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1970 and spent her career as an elementary school teacher.
“Children need the chance to fall in love with literature before they are taught the mechanics of reading,” the couple said. “We hope that our contribution will provide new early childhood educators with an added incentive to incorporate this emphasis in their careers. Reading aloud to children fosters empathy, strengthens attention spans and develops problem-solving skills.”
Tori Archuleta, a student teacher at Ruth Staples and an inclusive early childhood education student in the College of Education and Human Sciences, was selected as the 2026 Windsweep Farm Scholar Award recipient.
“This experience has been incredibly meaningful, and I am excited for the opportunity to continue building on what I have learned and to use this in my future endeavors as an educator,” Archuleta said.
