Hi Friends!
My name is Michelle and I LOVE literacy! I personally love to learn all the time, and as a mother, I feel it is my responsibility to foster learning in young people's lives! Guess what? So does Marjie, the steward of the Little Free Library on the Square in Chambersburg, PA, and YOU SHOULD TOO! Why, you say?
Because... The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school. National Commission on Reading, 1985
Marjie put out a request for more books for young readers to stock the LFL on the Square, and when I saw the request, I knew I could help through Usborne Books & More (UBAM). UBAM publishes books for ages 0-young adult and has an amazing program that matches 50% of donations! So with your help, we can get TONS of books into the hands of young Chambersburg readers! The beauty of a Little Free Library is that it is FREE, EASY to access, and ENCOURAGES reading and literacy.
There are over 5,040 children ages 18 and under in Chambersburg.
1,577 of those children are ages 5 and under.
If we raise $1,000, UBAM will match $500, totaling $1,500 in
books!! That's like investing almost $1 in the home education of every
child under 5 in Chambersburg!
Want to help us meet, or go beyond, that goal? Please donate here!
Want to know more about why this is important? Read on!
WHY are easily accessible books important ?
...Experts are nearly unanimous in stating that babies should routinely experience shared books as soon as they experience shared talking, that is, during the first weeks and months of life. Butler, D. (1998). Babies need books. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
...The greatest amount of brain growth occurs between birth and age five. In fact, by age 3, roughly 85% of the brain’s core structure is formed. In contrast, the majority of our investments are made in the traditional education years of K-12, which begin at age five. "Lifetime Effects: The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through age 40.” Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 2005.
WHY are these books needed in downtown Chambersburg?
...In middle-income neighborhoods the ratio of books per child is 13 to 1, in low-income neighborhoods, the ratio is 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children. Neuman, Susan B. and David K. Dickinson, ed. Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Volume 2. New York, NY: 2006, p. 31
... 61% of low-income families have no books at all in their homes for their children. Reading Literacy in the United States: Findings from the IEA Reading Literacy Study. (1996).
What happens when reading is not encouraged from a young age?
...37% of children arrive at kindergarten without the skills necessary for lifetime learning. Landry, S. H. (2005). Effective Early Childhood Programs: Turning Knowledge Into Action. Houston, TX: University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston.
...Researchers estimate that before ever entering kindergarten, cognitive scores for children of low-income families are likely to average 60 percent lower than those in the highest socioeconomic groups, something that remains true through high school. Lee, V. E. & Burkam, D. T. (2002). Inequality at the starting gate: Social background differences in achievement as children begin school. Washington, D.C.: Economic Policy Institute.
...The sad truth is that the vast majority of children who start behind, stay behind, leading to an increase in our nation’s dropouts rate among low-income and minority students. America’s Early Childhood. Jumpstart, 2009
