We know that book access and book choice are two of the most important factors when it comes to fostering a love of reading. That’s why Scholastic is once again teaming up with My Very Own Library (MVOL), an international initiative that encourages literacy by supplying students in need with books, to put 500K new books in the hands of kids. 50,000 students from 95 schools across the United States and the Dominican Republic will be able to choose 10 free books throughout the year—an increased reach of more than 10,000 kids since last year!
Data from the Kids & Family Reading Report™shows that households with income less than $35K only have an average of 69 children’s books vs. 127 books for kids in households with income more than $100K. Scholastic and MVOL hope to help close this equity gap and, by giving students the opportunity to self-select 10 titles that interest them from three Scholastic Book Fairs throughout the year, create literacy-rich experiences for all children.
Additionally, MVOL will coordinate school visits and book signings with award-winning children’s authors, as well as provide $1,000 in grant funding to schools to support family literacy events.
Now through the end of the school year, the My Very Own Library program will support:
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22,000 students from 35 public schools in Newark, NJ will take home 220,000 children’s books (Partner Organization: United Way of Essex and West Hudson)
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5,900 students from 14 public schools throughout Delaware will take home 59,000 children’s books (Partner Organization: United Way of Delaware)
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5,900 students from 14 public schools in Milwaukee, WI will take home 59,000 children’s books (Partner Organization: United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County)
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3,585 students from nine public schools in Kansas City, MO will take home 35,850 children’s books (Partner Organization: United Way of Greater Kansas City)
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1,500 students from four charter schools and 8,000 students from 17 public schools in Chicago, IL will take home 95,000 children’s books (Partner Organizations: University of Chicago and University of Chicago Charter Schools)
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875 students from one middle school and one high school at Making Waves Academy in Richmond, CA will take home 8,750 children’s books (Partner Organization: Making Waves Foundation)
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2,000 students from the Dominican Republic attending four DREAM Project Schools will take home 20,000 children’s books (Partner Organization: Dream Project)
Since the program’s founding in 2011, MVOL and Scholastic Book Fairs have given away more than 2 million books to students.
To learn more about the My Very Own Library program, visit: www.myveryownlibrary.org.
