Unfortunately, too many children do not get a solid foundation in reading before starting school.
4-year-olds who live above the poverty line and read with their families daily.
4-year-olds who live below the poverty line and read with their families daily.
Children who grow up in poverty are at an even greater disadvantage.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, 2006
Many families living in poverty simply do not have access to appropriate children’s books. While libraries can help to address this problem, according to the U.S. Department of Education, in 2007 only 28% of families living in poverty visited a library at least once a month. Therefore, it is essential that children have access to quality books in their classrooms.
“Some experts believe that for America’s poorest children, the biggest obstacle to literacy is the scarcity of books and appropriate reading material.”
- Needlman R, Fried L, Morley D, Traylor S, Zuckerman B. Clinic-Based Intervention to Promote Literacy. American Medical Association American Journal of Diseases of Children; 145(881) 1991.
Corporate grants can be an important option for school districts that need help funding educational initiatives such as the Read to Me program. The following are just a handful of the many companies that consider grant applications:
Target - Target accepts grant applications for Early Childhood Reading between March 1 and April 30. Early Childhood Reading Grants are $2,000. http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentid=WCMP04-031821
Walmart - Online applications open in February 2012. Deadline is December 1, 2012. Funding minimum is $250. There is no maximum, but grants are generally less than $5,000. http://www.walmartstores.com/CommunityGiving/10526.aspx
Verizon - Verizon reviews unsolicited online proposals on a continuous calendar year basis from January 1st through October 14, 2012. The Verizon Foundation does not have a range for grant amounts. Many factors, including the specific program or project to be funded and the organization making the request, determine funding amounts. Based on the past several years, the average grant size ranged between $5,000 and $10,000. http://www.verizonfoundation.org/grants/
Reading to children early in their lives gives them a solid grasp of the language of school. Children who fall behind in elementary school will struggle to catch up later on.
Therefore, reading to children in their early years is the best way to reduce the need to invest in remedial classes and tutoring later on.