PLANO, Texas, Oct. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pizza Hut BOOK
IT! Program is kicking off its 33rd year by announcing it will
expand the program from 620,000 classrooms to one million by
2020.
Launched in 1984, BOOK IT! is a reading program designed to
encourage kindergarten through sixth grade students to find the joy
in reading. To date, the iconic program has reached 1 in 5
Americans (65 million nationwide), and its time-tested approach to
encouraging reading has made a tremendous impact.
A new survey1 found that former participants in the
BOOK IT! Program are more likely to hold a degree from a higher
education institution (61 percent), compared to the general
population (49 percent). Additionally, it showed that BOOK IT!
alumni are more likely to earn higher wages. Specifically, BOOK IT!
alumni are 53 percent more likely to earn a household income of
$100K or more, compared to the
general population.
More importantly, the survey also revealed that adults who have
gone through the program are more likely to establish regular
reading routines with their family, as more than half (54 percent)
of BOOK IT! alumni say they read with their children every day,
compared to 32 percent of the general population.
"The mission of the BOOK IT! Program is to turn 'have to read'
into 'want to read' in classrooms and living rooms across the
country, and it is immensely gratifying to see BOOK IT! alumni
instilling a love of reading within their own families," said
Natasha Collins, Manager Social
Impact, Pizza Hut. "While we know there are many factors that
contribute to personal success, reading and literacy are
critical."
BOOK IT! Expands Through Digital
To further its commitment to literacy, Pizza Hut is opening a
new chapter in the BOOK IT! Program by developing innovative
digital features that will be available to teachers and parents
beginning in the 2018-19 school year.
The streamlined enrollment process and interactive teacher
dashboard will provide teachers with up-to-date reading progress at
their fingertips and an exciting in-classroom celebration
experience. Additionally, it will be easier for parents to monitor
their child's reading progress and celebrate their success with
digital award certificates delivered to their inbox. The digital
rollout is a key enabler of BOOK IT!'s expansion to one million
classrooms by 2020.
A Global Literacy Commitment
BOOK IT! is a key pillar
of Pizza Hut: The Literacy Project – the brand's global commitment
to impacting 100 million lives by enabling access to books and
educational resources, empowering teachers and inspiring readers.
In the first year of the campaign, the company impacted 15.9
million people and distributed more than 275,000 books and
educational resources – across markets including the U.S.,
Brazil, Canada, Costa
Rica and South Africa.
To support these efforts, Pizza Hut also partnered with First
Book, a recognized nonprofit, social sector leader, to engage
consumers in a fundraising initiative to provide new books and
educational resources to schools and programs that serve children
in need.
"Advancing equal education begins through the simple act of
putting the highest quality books and resources directly into the
hands of children. Pizza Hut: The Literacy Project is championing
this cause by providing access to books and other resources for
communities that have the greatest need," said Kyle Zimmer, co-founder, president and CEO,
First Book. "This vital program is made even more powerful by
ensuring that the books reflect the full diversity of our country.
When children can see themselves in the stories they read, the
impact is profound. Our own research tells us that children are
inspired to read more."
Addressing literacy-related issues – like access and empowerment
– are part of a global focus led by the United Nations 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development that includes 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), one of which is Quality Education.
Results achieved by Pizza Hut: The Literacy Project are in
direct support of SDG 4 – Quality Education. The goal of SDG 4 is
to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote
lifelong learning opportunities for all. Specifically, Pizza Hut is
delivering results, in part, to support Target 4.6, which is to
ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both
men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy by 2030.
For more information on the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program and how
schools can participate, visit http://www.bookitprogram.com. To
learn more about Pizza Hut: The Literacy Project, visit
http://theliteracyproject.pizzahut.com/.
About Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum!
Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), serves and delivers more pizzas than
any other pizza company in the world. With easy order options
including the Pizza Hut app, mobile site, Facebook and Twitter
messenger and Amazon devices, Pizza Hut is committed to providing
an easy pizza experience – from order to delivery.
Founded in 1958, Pizza Hut has become the most-recognized pizza
restaurant in the world, operating more than 16,400 restaurants in
more than 100 countries.
Pizza Hut is also the proprietor of The Literacy Project, an
initiative designed to enable access, empower teachers and inspire
a lifelong love of reading. The program is rooted in the foundation
set by the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program, which is the longest-running
corporate supported literacy program, impacting more than 14
million students each year. For more information,
visit www.pizzahut.com.
About BOOK IT!
The Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program
motivates children to read by rewarding their reading
accomplishments with praise, recognition and pizza. The program is
simple, flexible, fun and free for teachers to use in their
classrooms. Students who meet monthly reading goals set by their
teacher receive a Reading Award Certificate to redeem at
participating Pizza Hut locations for a free one-topping Personal
Pan Pizza® and a Reading Journal. For more information on the Pizza
Hut BOOK IT! Program and how schools can participate, visit
http://www.bookitprogram.com/.
1Survey Methodology
The survey was
conducted by Toluna from August 16-18,
2017 and based on 2000 responses. The sample was
representative of an adult online population, between the ages of
18 and 59, 60% of whom have or had children in the household in
the United States.
Contact:
Courtney
Moscovic
972.338.8288
Courtney.Moscovic@yum.com
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SOURCE Pizza Hut