First Book's State of Literacy InitiativeNovember 3, 2008 |
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 The California Department of Education recently reported that two-thirds of California's third-graders are reading below grade level. This has spurred many organizations to increase outreach activities that encourage reading. As part of our outreach and First 5 LA's "Read Early, Read Aloud" literacy campaign, we have partnered with First Book, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own new books. Recent studies show that every child in a middle-income neighborhood has an average of 13 books, but in low-income neighborhoods, that ratio drops to one book for every 300 children. Studies show that a crucial behavioral measure that correlates significantly with reading scores is the number of books in the home, and that access to printed materials - not poverty - is critical in developing reading skills. First Book has distributed more than 2.5 million books to children from low-income families in California and more than 60 million books nationwide. Recently, the organization expanded outreach through its State of Literacy Initiative and it hopes to raise $500,000 for 500,000 additional books for children in California over the next year. To find out how to support this effort, visit www.firstbook.org/california. "One teenage mother wrote, ‘I really want to read to my baby, but I can either buy books or diapers. There's just not enough money to buy both,'" said Kyle Zimmer, president of First Book. "At First Book, we believe that books shouldn't be a luxury." Zimmer was inspired to start the non-profit organization after tutoring in a Washington, D.C. soup kitchen where she met a young student who was working to improve his reading. She reminded him to practice when he got home and he replied, "I can't. I don't have a book." It was a phrase that still haunts her, and it was also the start of First Book. To find out if your program can receive books from First Book visit www.firstbook.org/register or call 1-866-READ-NOW. To learn more about First 5 LA's "Read Early, Read Aloud" campaign, go to www.readysetgrowla.org. |
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