Governor's Early Literacy Foundation, in
collaboration with Scholastic, expands its K-3 Home Library program
to benefit 162,000 teachers and students across Tennessee, marking the first statewide
roll-out of an at-home book delivery program for K-3
students
NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 8, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- To combat summer learning loss in Tennessee and support student learning in the
home, Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) today announced
the expansion of its K-3 Home Library program to deliver 970,000
books to teachers and students statewide this summer, including
every rising first and second grader enrolled in a public school in
Tennessee. In collaboration with
Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education and media
company, 162,000 students and teachers will receive a pack of six
high-quality, age-appropriate books and literacy resources. The
packs will be delivered directly to the homes of participating
students and teachers, at no cost to families or school
districts.
Through the K-3 Home Library program, GELF is partnering with
146 school districts and charter schools to deliver books in all 95
Tennessee counties this summer.
Children enrolled in a participating school district are signed up
to receive the books unless a caregiver chooses to opt them out,
making it easy for families to be a part of the program.
The books were selected by GELF's Educator Advisory Council
(EAC), a group of 21 diverse Tennessee educators that serve GELF's K-3
initiatives. The EAC also created activity-based resources that are
being provided to teachers and parents to help them incorporate the
program's books in the classroom and in the home.
Only 32% of Tennessee third
graders read proficiently, a 16% decline since 2019. According to
the Tennessee Department of Education, Tennessee ranks 31st in the country in fourth
grade reading proficiency, a ranking calculated using results from
the National Assessment of Educational Progress, better known as
the Nation's Report Card.
Third grade reading proficiency is the benchmark where children
transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" and is a
key indicator for a child's future educational success and
workforce readiness. A student not reading at his or her grade
level by the end of the 3rd grade is four times less
likely to graduate high school on time. Research shows that two to
three months of proficiency is lost for students who do not read
over the summer, but reading four to six books has the potential to
stop, mitigate, or reverse this "summer slide."
A two-decade long study found that the presence of a home
library increases children's academic success, vocabulary
development, attention and job attainment. Children with as few as
25 books in the home complete an average of two more years of
schooling than those with no books.
This is GELF's third year collaborating with Scholastic to
deliver books and resources to students and teachers during the
summer. Since 2020, GELF's K-3 Home Library program has placed more
than 2.1 million books in the homes of more than 205,000 elementary
school students and teachers. Books have been delivered in all 95
Tennessee counties, in partnership
with 94% of Tennessee school
districts.
"We are honored to help bring the first statewide at-home book
delivery program for students and teachers to Tennessee," said James
Pond, GELF President. "Through the K-3 Home Library program,
we are meeting thousands of students where they are with the books
and resources they need to combat learning loss and support
learning in the home. Our goal is to shine a light on Tennessee as a leader in collaborative early
literacy efforts, and we hope other states look to us to help
promote a culture of reading inside and outside of the classroom.
It's more than books. It's the future of Tennessee."
This announcement kicks off GELF's "Stop the Slide!" campaign to
promote a summer of active young readers and combat the proverbial
"summer slide."
GELF President James Pond was
joined by Chris Hedrick, Senior Vice
President of Sales, Scholastic Education Solutions, and children's
book author Carmen Agra Deedy at Mayfield Elementary in
Cleveland, Tenn. on June 8 to officially kick off the "Stop the
Slide!" campaign and announce the expansion of the K-3 Home Library
program with participating students and teachers. Carmen Agra Deedy
performed a special read-aloud of her book, The Rooster Who
Would Not Be Quiet!, that students will receive through the
program, and local mascots helped distribute books to students and
teachers in attendance.
"Books can be a source of comfort, learning and joy, and
Scholastic is committed to ensuring that every child has the
opportunity to experience all the benefits of reading, including a
sense of ownership by having their own home library. We are so
proud to be part of this statewide effort in Tennessee and to execute a shared mission in
advancing children's literacy with the Governor's Early Literacy
Foundation," said Chris Hedrick,
Senior Vice President of Sales, Scholastic Education Solutions
The K-3 Home Library program has grown by 403% since 2020 and
has quickly become one of GELF's key initiatives. The success of
previous collaborations spurred GELF and Scholastic to explore ways
to reach even more students this summer.
One educator said, "This is one of the most beneficial
initiatives for increasing literacy that I have witnessed as an
educator."
One parent said, "My son really enjoyed these books to the point
of requesting more books on his own and wanting to pick them out
himself, which is new for us."
The K-3 Home Library program is underwritten by the State of Tennessee with key support from
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation.
"We recognize the importance of childhood literacy, and we
understand that, unfortunately, many Tennessee students may not have access to
books, particularly during the summer when school is not in
session," said Chelsea Johnson,
director of the BlueCross Foundation. "We hope this grant will help
get books into the hands of more of our state's children, allowing
them to maintain and expand critical reading skills, even when
they're not in class."
To help "Stop the Slide!," GELF encourages Tennesseans to join
the Foundation's "Booker's Book Club" on social media this summer
by posting photos of their children reading with the hashtags
#BookersBookClubTN #StoptheSlideTN. For more information, follow
@GovEarlyLiteracyTN or visit GovernorsFoundation.org.
About GELF
Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) equips Tennessee's children with books and innovative
literacy tools that encourage lifelong learning for a brighter
future. GELF is a nonpartisan 501c3 driven by a mission to
strengthen early literacy in Tennessee by acting as a thought leader,
advisor, and catalyst for programs across the state. These programs
include Birth-5 Book Delivery through Dolly
Parton's Imagination Library, K-3 Home Library, Caregiver
Engagement, Book Buses, and Storybook Trails. GELF was founded in
2004 by former Gov. Phil Bredesen as
a public-private partnership to sustain Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in
Tennessee. GELF has grown from
solely a book-gifting program to an early literacy organization
driven by a vision where all Tennessee children have access to the
resources, guidance, and support they need to become lifelong
learners. For more information, visit www.GovernorsFoundation.org
or www.facebook.com/GovEarlyLiteracyTN, or call toll-free at (877)
99-BOOKS.
About Scholastic
For more than 100 years, Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL)
has been encouraging the personal and intellectual growth of all
children, beginning with literacy. Having earned a reputation as a
trusted partner to educators and families, Scholastic is the
world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, a
leading provider of literacy curriculum, professional services, and
classroom magazines, and a producer of educational and entertaining
children's media. The Company creates and distributes bestselling
books and e-books, print and technology-based learning programs for
pre-K to grade 12, and other products and services that support
children's learning and literacy, both in school and at home. With
15 international operations and exports to 165 countries,
Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all
children around the world through school-based book clubs and book
fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail,
and online. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.
About BlueCross BlueShield of
Tennessee Foundation, Inc.
The BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation, Inc. is a
501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation organized to promote the
philanthropic mission of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. It has
awarded $120 million in grants since 2005. The foundation provides
funding for the BlueCross Healthy Place program, which creates
active, healthy spaces across Tennessee.
Contact:
Claire
Jones
Claire.jones@tn.gov
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SOURCE Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation