Bring Me A Book, East Bay Community Foundation, West Contra Costa County Unified School District Partner To Help 4,200 Kids
Richmond, CA – May 24, 2011 --
The three-year literacy program to reach 4,200 kindergarten students in Richmond public schools with new in-class libraries and literacy training is being expanded to provide books for summer reading.
Volunteers at the Richmond Public Library today stuffed three books into more than 1,200 book bags that will be distributed to Richmond kindergarten students on or before the last day of class before summer break. The books are intended to spur summer reading in order to combat "summer learning loss," the well documented phenomenon in which students lose certain academic skills and knowledge during the summer vacation period.
Since announced in October of last year as the result of a partnership put together by the East Bay Community Foundation with the Chamberlin Family Foundation, Bring Me a Book, and the West Contra Costa Unified School District, the "Richmond Kindergarten Library Initiative" has provided 49 classrooms with 1,470 books affecting 53 teachers and about 1,200 kindergarten students. More than 330 parents and caregivers have participated in 36 reading workshops in which 664 books have been given away.
The program is funded through a $272,000 grant from the Chamberlin Family Foundation to the East Bay Community Foundation, which pays for the work of Bring Me A Book providing in-class libraries and literacy services. The program is intended to provide bookcase libraries with 30 new, hardcover, bilingual books plus annual book replenishments for the children and families of all 70 kindergarten classrooms in all 19 Richmond schools, thus reaching 4,200 children and 5,230 parents and caregivers. The program is also providing literacy workshops for parents, caregivers and teachers to learn the importance of reading aloud and ways to create a daily read-aloud routine with their children.
Encouraging parents to encourage their kindergarten students to continue reading during the summer and providing the appropriate books for that reading constitute an important new dimension to our literacy program," said Bruce Harter, Superintendent of the West Contra Costa County Unified School District.
"The literacy resources provided by this program help us ensure very young children develop the fundamentals of learning that will enhance their chances of being successful in the education system," said Harter. "It is especially important that this program not only provides books, but also literacy workshops for parents, caregivers, and teachers so that literacy activities in the classroom can be supported through literacy activities at home."
"This program aligns with our focus on ensuring very young children get the education they need in order to have better economic opportunity when they become adults," said Nicole Taylor, President & Chief Executive Officer of the East Bay Community Foundation. "It also aligns with our priority of assisting communities in the East Bay with substantial needs, one of which is Richmond."
The new summer-reading dimension of the program is aimed at combatting "summer learning loss" -- the loss of certain knowledge and academic skills experienced during the summer school vacation months. The loss has been found to be different depending on age of the student, subject matter, and family income, but many studies have demonstrated students scoring lower on standardized tests at the end of summer than they do at the beginning of summer on the identical test.
Bring Me A Book, headquartered in Mountain View, provides easy access to the best children’s books and inspires reading aloud. It places libraries of books in state-funded preschools, elementary schools and community centers and provides a "First Teachers" literacy training workshop for parents, teachers, and caregivers.
"Study after study proves that children who have early exposure to reading and books, and who are read aloud to on a daily basis, do better in school," said Bring Me A Book Executive Director Terri Clark. "The key is access to books; and Bring Me A Book is serving over 450,000 children and parents at 1,700 sites throughout California to provide easy access to the best children’s books and to inspire parents, caregivers and teachers to read aloud to children for future success in school and life."
