So a few months ago I heard about this foundation that will send your child (if under the age of 5) a free book every month. I first thought, okay, what's the gimmick. So I got online and registered and sure enough Maeve has been receiving a book every month and they're good books! It's great! She'll receive one every month until she's 5! The founder has a really neat story. The foundation raises money to help support and promote literacy in Georgia. You wouldn't believe the number of students who come through my classroom and don't have a single book at home! I plan on using the books Maeve receives to help build my classroom library, allowing those students to take them home with them. If you have a child go check it out, how exciting for them to get mail (and it be a book!) every month!
http://www.ferstfoundation.org/
As a teacher I am aware of the number of households that lack a print rich environment, but to see the statistics is alarming....the following are just a few....
Literacy in Georgia
1 in 5 of our children lives in poverty
Approximately 61 percent of low-income
families do not have a single piece of
reading material suitable for a child
A third of our children come to school
unprepared to learn
Only 28% of Georgia 4th graders read
at or above proficiency
We have the nations third highest rate
of high school dropouts
One in four adults in Georgia operates
at a low literacy level
Illiteracy and low literate workers
cost Atlanta $4.26 billion and Georgia
businesses $7 billion each year
Several states plan how many jail
cells they will build in the future by
how many children are not reading on
grade level by third grade
2 comments:
Just to let you know, I've tried to get Easton on this program, but they've currently suspended it due to funds. I'm not sure if it's like that in every county, but I tried three surrounding counties, and they're all suspended. Bummer. :(
We LOVE the books and the foundation as well. We just got "Good Night Gorilla" in the mail!
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