Children from low-income families need access to books

Posted 3/18/22

Research shows that literacy is one of the best predictors of a child’s success in both school and life.

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Children from low-income families need access to books

Posted

Research shows that literacy is one of the best predictors of a child’s success in both school and life. Without books in the home, children face a multi-million-word gap compared to those who enjoy daily at-home story-time.

With 21 of Collier County’s 29 elementary schools listed as Title I schools where 90% of students rely on the free/reduced-cost meal program, 65% of Collier County’s 18,500 elementary students (12,000 youngsters) are living in economic need.

Without access to books, children from low-income households return to fall classes with reading scores 30% lower than those students who enjoy steady access to books (called Summer Slide). By the end of 5th grade, these students are nearly 3 grades behind in reading skills, placing them at greater risk for academic failure, delinquency, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, unemployment, low productivity and welfare dependency.

Books for Collier Kids launched in 2005 to address these realities by providing a new, age-appropriate book a month during the school year to Collier County’s children from low-income families in pre-K, kindergarten, first- and second-grades, helping children to succeed academically and in life.

Last year alone, Books for Collier Kids distributed 121,302 books to 26 schools plus additional sister organizations, including providing the Marco YMCA with books every summer to fight summer slide and more than 100 Habitat for Humanity homes annually. To date, the nonprofit, all-volunteer organization has distributed 1.4 million new books for children to read, share and cherish as they build their own at-home libraries.

The charity is all-volunteer run; if you’d like to speak with Books for Collier Kids Chair Sallie Williams, please let me know. We hope you can help us get the word out about the organization and keep children reading throughout the spring and summer!

book, books, reading, read, literacy, literature

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