We don’t need to figure out what to do. We know what works. We need to figure out how to get as many books as possible into the homes of as many children as possible. As a community, we must do everything in our power to foster parents’ ability to provide a literacy-rich environment for the community’s children. Learning to read is so essential to children’s future health and well-being that in order to ensure that they do have the opportunity to fall in love with books, Maine’s Raising Readers program has given out over 3 million free books at well-child visits in the last 20 years.
It is timely indeed that Maine is now cosponsoring Dolly’s Imagination Library for the whole state. This means every child from birth through age five will be eligible to receive a free book in the mail every month with no income eligibility required. This gift from Dolly and the State of Maine will guarantee that every child, whose parents enroll them, will have age-appropriate, new books in their home. Receiving books from Raising Readers and Imagination Library will support the birth through five age children in having a much stronger foundation for learning to read when they get to school.
However, the PreK, kindergarteners, and first graders now in school, have experienced Covid-caused learning losses and they need extra help to still become strong readers. Book Fairy Pantry Project is dedicating special efforts to getting as many free books as possible into the homes of children who are struggling with the double whammy of lacking books in the home and Covid caused learning losses. The more books they have at home, the more likely they will hear more stories, and still experience the reading benefits of falling in love with books.
We can’t change the things that have or have not already happened to our youngest students during these Covid years. However, we can change their future when we answer the call to do our part, both by donating outgrown books and by becoming a volunteer reading partner at our local elementary schools. It can’t be all on the parents and teachers to do this. They are exhausted. It takes a whole community to raise readers.
