Literacy is key in the classroom — but what if you don't have access to books to read?
Studies show that 61 percent of low-income families find themselves in that situation — unable to afford books for their kids to read at home.
That's where the E.W. Scripps Company's annual "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign comes into play, kicking off Monday.
For as little as five dollars or however much you'd like to donate, one book gets put into the hands of a child. Donations up to $5,000 from viewers will be matched by members of the Scripps family.
Since launching in 2016, the campaign has donated more than 500,000 new books to low-income children in communities across the country, even right here in Acadiana; and with school boards across Acadiana telling KATCtheir primary focus this school year is on literacy and increasing AR reading scores, this makes the campaign all the more important.
Reports show that kids unable to read at their grade level by the time they reach third grade, or 8 years old, are four times less likely to graduate from high school. With that, roughly one-third of the youngest school kids nationwide are behind on those reading benchmarks — substantially higher than before the pandemic.
So now, you may be asking, "How can I help?"
If you'd like to learn more or donate to the cause, you can clickhere or text "KATC" to 50155.
The deadline to donate is by September 9.
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