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Six out of ten children in low-income families have no or limited access to books outside the classroom. Access to books is a major factor in educational and career success.
Reading from a young age inspires confidence, encourages perspective, bridges the perceived differences between people, and forms a fundamental stepping stone to better communication skills overall. In fact, we believe it is the single most important skill a child can develop to become a productive member of society. Books open children's minds to a world of opportunities—many never before considered—while stimulating their intellect, imagination, and intelligence, especially during their formative years.
With such tremendous power quite literally at our fingertips, it seems an injustice that any child should ever go without. However, as budget cutbacks impact school systems, funding for libraries is often one of the first things cut, and parents may be given the unpalatable decision to choose between books or family necessities, leaving many children with little to no access to books outside the classroom.
Kids Need to Read was established to help reverse this disastrous trend by providing exciting new books to underfunded libraries, school systems, and independent literacy programs.
Through the tireless generosity of our donors, volunteers, and staff, we have already returned hundreds of thousands of books to those once-bare shelves, and countless smiles to the faces of children in our nation's most underserved areas.
We work with schools, libraries, and other services to get books into the hands of children.
Founded with a passion to improve the lives of disadvantaged children by providing inspiring book collections and engaging literacy programs to underfunded schools, libraries, and organizations across the nation, Kids Need to Read aspires to empower and embolden every last child through a culture of reading. For many of the children it serves, Kids Need to Read represents a crucial link to strong literacy education, and its programs help build and nurture support systems for the development of literate minds. Immersing children in an integrated world of literary experiences that teach them, firsthand, the impact of reading on every aspect of life, ignites their imagination and builds confidence for a prosperous future — regardless of race, economic status, or personal capabilities.
Young heroes in peril . . . Challenges and adversity . . . Life-changing decisions . . . Like a classic tale played out between the covers of a book, this story is taking place in the real world every day for countless children across the country, and Kids Need to Read is committed to helping write as many happy endings as possible.
Young minds cannot thrive on an empty shelf. Just as the hero longs for a noble adventure and a rocket requires fuel to fly, every child's imagination is a place of infinite possibility, needing the proper spark to ignite its true potential. Once catalyzed, this flame can become self-sustaining—an unstoppable force with the capacity to change lives. Indeed, it may even change the future itself.
That is why Kids Need to Read's lineup of popular and interactive literacy programs such as "Grow Your Library," "From Our Shelves to Yours," and "The Page Coach" will always revolve around one simple core commitment: getting books in the hands of children who desperately need them.
Evolving from a small service project in 2007, and quickly transforming into a nonprofit organization in 2008, Kids Need to Read has provided thousands of books to children lacking adequate access to reading resources and continues to expand its reach throughout the country. Program goals are accomplished by targeting three major factors affecting the development of strong literacy skills among children: availability of resources, parental engagement, and neutralizing the regressive effects of the “summer slide.” We know that literacy is learned and illiteracy is passed along. By teaming up with schools, libraries, and other literacy organizations to vigorously mitigate this issue head-on, Kids Need to Read will continue to connect children with books, and illustrate the connection of books with a brighter future to avoid losing another generation of our underserved youth to a challenging life of illiteracy.
It has been said that books take you places; at Kids Need to Read we send books places. From California to New York, Washington to Florida, the need served by our national program, From Our Shelves to Yours, is absolutely real and very serious. The words that are most often used in the applications we receive are: “desperate,” “children do not have access to books outside of school,” and “we do not have many resources.” Kids Need to Read is honored to answer the call and to share the joy of reading and the power of a literate mind with the vulnerable children we serve.
Last year, Kids Need to Read helped to maintain Little Free Libraries in Utah and brought fresh literature to classrooms in Alaska. Libraries built teen summer reading programs in New Hampshire and medical centers in Montana handed out books during checkups. These projects and many more provide children living in low socioeconomic areas with access to books and were made possible by reading resources distributed by Kids Need to Read. Kids Need to Read's literacy programs will always revolve around one simple core commitment: getting books into the hands of children who desperately need them.
Our world is constantly changing, but our staff has never stopped moving forward. We have created new partnerships with free meal programs, food banks, and community centers throughout the country, in addition to reaching out to schools, libraries, and community services we have partnered with in the past. New ideas and innovations to get books into the hands of children have become our norm, and almost all of our team conversations now start with the magical words "what if."
These "what if" conversations have inspired programs like our hugely popular family reading relief packs, winter family storybooks, and classroom library "refreshers," all of which continue to this day and are made possible only through the support of people like you. These programs have proven to be an exciting answer to the literacy needs of the vulnerable families served by KNTR!
The demand for books and reading resources continues to be enormously high, especially in rural communities across the country. In the past year, we have made a concerted effort to reach out to communities and schools that we have never served before, to bring as much literary coverage we can to places that have not seen new books in years.
Would you give $4 a month to support four nonprofits that are making a big difference? Join forces with other 52andChangmakers to automatically give to every Cause of the Week. Every Monday, you’ll wake up knowing you’ve already made a difference! As our community grows, so does the impact!
Together we’ve become volunteers in places we would have never expected, planted milkweed for butterflies, provided books to kids in need, helped save endangered turtles, helped turn excess food into nutrition, helped bring art to youth, educated one another about how we are connected to our delicate food systems, helped save abandoned horses and given old dogs new hope, watched foster youth shine in the spotlight of movie making, helped clean tires out of rivers… we could go on and on and on. It is an absolute joy to be a part of such an amazing network of humans making a difference.
“ALMA reconnects the lives of the formerly incarcerated back to the fabric of society. Our participants have the chance at attaining gainful employment and becoming self-sufficient. Urban Farming helps everyone involved explore the relationships between plants, animals and humans as a way of creating a profound connection to both nature and their community.” - ALMA Backyard Farms
While we’re writing this and you’re reading it, Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes is out there, finding ways to provide food to more people in need throughout Santa Cruz County, where one of three residents are reported to be food insecure.
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