Let’s Change the World for Children — One Book at a Time
By Roxanne Coady, Founder of Read to Grow, Just The Right Book, and R.J. Julia Booksellers
Recently on NPR, James Patterson said, “I can’t do anything about global warming. I can’t do anything about a better system for drugs or immigration, whatever. But I can help kids learn how to read. And that will save lives.”
It’s hard to fathom but, in low-income neighborhoods, there is an average of one book for every 300 children as opposed to 13 books per child in middle- to upper-income households. That’s a sobering statistic. As a result, these children entering kindergarten hear an average of 30 million fewer words than their more affluent counterparts — giving them a severe disadvantage when starting school. And this lack of reading skills has a domino effect:
*50% of children who do not have pre-literacy skills when they start kindergarten will not be proficient by fourth grade.
*Children with low literacy skills in fourth grade are at greatest risk of not graduating high school.
*43% of people with low literacy skills live in poverty.
*70% of people with low literacy levels don’t have a full-time jobs.
*85% of all juvenile offenders have trouble reading.
Fortunately we can make a difference. I founded Read to Grow, a non-profit dedicated to improving literacy among Connecticut’s low-income children and families. Read to Grow distributes approximately 150,000 books each year to various hospitals, schools, families, food banks, and more. Throughout the year, the organization collects gently used books for children of all age groups, but there is an acute need for specific types of books that are new and not generally available as used books. Read to Grow is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) public charity, and financial donations put real books in the hands of these parents. Additionally, for every children’s book subscription purchased during the holiday season at Just The Right Book , JTRB will donate one children’s book to Read to Grow.
Soon Read to Grow will pilot a pre-natal coaching program for parents-to-be in Connecticut hospitals. These high-risk families will receive the skills, coaching and resources to become their children’s first teachers, making it possible for their children to be ready to read by age 4.
Like my friend James Patterson, I believe we can make a difference and help children experience the thrill of reading, prepare them to thrive, and know what it’s like to love a book that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.
Let’s help create a world where reading is something that every child can experience at an early age to help them achieve their fullest life. Spread the word, make a donation, do a book drive, get involved with #BooksForEveryBaby.
As Dr. Seuss says, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
