Free Books For Your Preschooler!
Did you know that for every 50 children who do not learn to read in kindergarten, 44 of them will still have trouble in third grade?[i] And children without reading skills in third grade are less likely to graduate high school. In fact, research shows that early grade reading mastery is one of the best predictors of children’s success in school.[ii] Unfortunately, many children enter school lacking the fundamental skills necessary to succeed, and children who start behind fall even farther behind.
Fortunately, United Way of Southwest Alabama (UWSWA)
recognizes the importance of childhood literacy and has partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to help encourage reading to preschool children.
Each month after a child is registered for the Imagination Library program – up until their fifth birthday – a carefully selected, age-appropriate book is sent to the child’s home. There is no cost to the family. UWSWA provides the books free of charge. Many titles will be familiar to parents, as they include classics such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Since January 2014, more than 2,000 books have been distributed to children in Mobile County. Presently, there are 211 children in Mobile County receiving books once a month, and 353 children have graduated from the program since its inception in Mobile County in 2009.
Currently, children living in zip codes 36509, 36587, 36605, 36610, 36615, and 36617 are eligible. Register your child here!
[i] U.S. Census Bureau. The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earning. Washington D.C.: U.S. Census Bureaus, 2002. http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-210.pdf.
[ii] Strong American Schools. Diploma to Nowhere. Washington, DC: Strong American Schools, 2008. http://www.broadeducation.org/asset/1128-diploma%20to%20nowhere.pdf.