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Donate New Children’s Books
Children require encouragement to read, and can develop a love for reading with the provision of new books. With their own books, they stand a better chance of learning to read and do better in school.
Children from low income families have literacy scores of more than 40 points lower than their high-income counterparts; providing new books and encouraging them to read are hallmarks of K.I.D.S.’ program. In 2010, K.I.D.S received over $ 3 million worth of new books and materials from the publishing and media industry including Scholastic and First Book.
To date, First Book has distributed more than 80 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada. First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education by making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis.
In 2010, a study questioning over 17,000 young people revealed a strong link between young people’s reading ability and their access to books at home: 80% of children who read above the expected level for their age had books of their own. The report also found that young people who did not own their own books were also three times more likely to agree with the statements “reading is boring” and “I only read in class”.
Donor Spotlight: Scholastic
Since 2006, Scholastic Inc. has donated $7.5 million worth of books to K.I.D.S. for distribution to children in depressed and under-served regions of the country. Part of this program focuses on providing books to Native American children; through Scholastic’s donation to K.I.D.S., these students now have thousands of books that bridge the worlds between school and home. Scholastic’s Classrooms Care program partnered with K.I,D,S, to give children in need access to quality books. Kids who participate in ClassroomsCare learn the value of giving. They develop reading skills through activities that promote literacy. And they are empowered by the knowledge that their actions can impact the world in positive ways.
