Reading to Kids Hits Yet Another Donation Milestone

Saturday, April 14, 2018 - Los Angeles, Calif. - Local Grassroots Organization Donates 30,000th Library Book To LAUSD Schools

When Reading to Kids made its latest donation this month to the libraries of their eight partner downtown-area LAUSD elementary schools, it reached the milestone of donating more than 30,000 read-aloud books to their libraries.

Reading to Kids holds monthly reading clubs for children, grades K through five, on the second Saturday of each month. This brings together a helpfully large number of volunteers and excited students in a very successful effort to inspire a love of reading in the children (and adults, alike), as well as encourages continued reading in the home and elsewhere, outside of the school setting.

The importance of reading and literacy is a leading element in fostering successful futures for these children, who may not always have access to age-appropriate reading material in their homes. Current literacy research establishes that the number of school library books per student is a significant predictor of reading achievement. Similarly, access to age-appropriate reading materials at home helps children read better.

Each month, Reading to Kids donates 20-30 hardcover, read-aloud books to each partner school library, five books to participating teachers for their classroom libraries, and one book to every participating child and parent. They also list at http://readingtokids.org/Books/BooksAlpha.php descriptions, reading guides, and craft ideas for every one of the more than 1,300 different children's books they have read aloud over the past 19 years.

"Reading to Kids donates six new titles to the schools' libraries each month; from Stellaluna to Coco, the titles are handpicked by teachers and school staff," said Jessica Brown-Clark, Program Coordinator, Reading to Kids. "We never repeat a title, so our kids will never run out of new stories to explore!"

In addition to having now donated the more than 30,000 books to the libraries and more than 164,000 take-home books to children who attend the reading clubs, Reading to Kids also participates in numerous community endeavors and fundraising activities within and throughout the Los Angeles community, including other reading workshops, book fairs and festivals, and, most recently, the annual LA Marathon, with the help of its Taskforce members, as well as an untold number of eager and excited volunteers.

About Reading to Kids

Reading to Kids is a grassroots organization dedicated to inspiring underserved children with a love of reading, thereby enriching their lives and opportunities for future success. On the second Saturday of every month, Reading to Kids brings together a diverse group of volunteers from across Los Angeles to help instill the joys of reading and of the arts. For more information about Reading to Kids, or to sign up as a volunteer reader, please log onto www.readingtokids.org.