Book Immersion
Lifelong Learning Begins with Books for All Our Kids
Summary:
I would give 50,000 children in St. Paul a 12-book library of their very own, a simple but profound gift to help fuel a child’s love of learning, and set them on a path toward success.
If you’re reading this, chances are you grew up with books. How else would you learn to read? Having books at home and in school is the number one predictor of reading success. But the reality for so many of St. Paul’s children who are growing up poor or near poor is this: books are scarce. Many have no age-appropriate books at home; neither their parents nor the schools and programs they attend can afford to buy books at retail prices. Without books in their hands, they lack the critical resource they need to read, learn and succeed.
Unlike many of the city’s biggest, most entrenched social problems, this is one we can solve, and the solution is within reach thanks to First Book.
First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise working to provide low-income communities with the wealth of books and resources. It has distributed over 100 million and is committed to driving systemic change. Over 50,000 schools and program in its rapidly growing network now have access to over 3,500 high-quality that were otherwise out of reach at 60-90% below retail. They include titles like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Green Eggs and Ham, and To Kill a Mockingbird
About You
About You
First Name
Kyle
Last Name
Zimmer
City
Washington
County
DC
Country
United States, DC, Washington
Website (if you have one)
Names of others who helped contribute to my idea
How did you hear about the Forever Saint Paul Challenge?
Announcement email from Carleen Rhodes
About Your Organization (if applicable)
Organization Name (if applicable)
First Book
Organization Website
Organization Phone
(202) 732-3669
Organization Address
1319 F Street, NW
City
Washington
Organization Country
United States, DC, Washington
Your idea
Title of your idea
Book Immersion: Lifelong Learning Begins with Books for All Our Kids
Give us the highlights of your idea for making Saint Paul great (2,000 characters maximum or approx. 250 words)
I would give 50,000 children in St. Paul a 12-book library of their very own, a simple but profound gift to help fuel a child’s love of learning, and set them on a path toward success.
If you’re reading this, chances are you grew up with books. How else would you learn to read? Having books at home and in school is the number one predictor of reading success. But the reality for so many of St. Paul’s children who are growing up poor or near poor is this: books are scarce. Many have no age-appropriate books at home; neither their parents nor the schools and programs they attend can afford to buy books at retail prices. Without books in their hands, they lack the critical resource they need to read, learn and succeed.
Unlike many of the city’s biggest, most entrenched social problems, this is one we can solve, and the solution is within reach thanks to First Book.
First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise working to provide low-income communities with the wealth of books and resources. It has distributed over 100 million and is committed to driving systemic change. Over 50,000 schools and program in its rapidly growing network now have access to over 3,500 high-quality that were otherwise out of reach at 60-90% below retail. They include titles like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Green Eggs and Ham, and To Kill a Mockingbird
Website address (if applicable)
Innovation
What makes your idea different or unexpected? (4000 characters maximum or approx. 500 words)
In short, First Book. We work with the key players in St. Paul’s education community including the Superintendant, American Federation of Teachers, Head Start, Minnesota Reading Corps, and Think Small. Its other assets include a volunteer network and celebrated authors like Kate DiCamillo to tap.
Through unprecedented innovations and partnerships, First Book has pioneered models that make high-quality books accessible and affordable on an ongoing basis for the entire low-income sector on a scale never before imaginable. Sustainability is built-in. Once connected with First Book educators have permanent access to a limitless supply of resources, as well as tools like Virtual Book Drives that help them raise funds on their own, and book grants that are underwritten by corporations like
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
How will your idea make a difference in Saint Paul? (4000 characters maximum or approx. 500 words)
More than 40% of St. Paul Public School children read below grade level. Scholars like Susan B. Neuman believe that access to books and educational material is the single greatest barrier to literacy development in the United States. “If we can solve the problem of access, we will be well on the road to realizing educational parity—a goal which has eluded this country since its founding.”
Home libraries aren’t a magic wand, but they are a critical part of any solution. A recent meta-analysis of over 11,000 studies showed that book lending and ownership programs improve reading performance, are instrumental in helping children learn the basics of reading, cause children to read more and for longer lengths of time, and improve attitudes toward reading and learning among children.
Sustainability
Why do you think people will recognize or remember your idea after it comes to life? How might it inspire others to do something similar in their community? (4000 characters maximum or approx. 500 words)
This would be the largest book distribution of its kind and type in any major city in America. This project would put 600,000 books with a total retail value of $4.5 million into the city. The collective impact on a city whose entire child population has high-quality books and educational resources would be unprecedented and of keen interest to city leaders, educators, parents, and other major stakeholders across the country working to improve education and close the achievement gap.
 | bhjhgj hgjjg said: Education is very much important for our children as well as the youth today. - Integrity Spas about this Competition Entry. - 2627 days ago read more > |
 | Kyle Zimmer updated this Competition Entry. - 2852 days ago |
 | Kyle Zimmer submitted this idea. - 2852 days ago |
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