How books help break the cycle of poverty

Reading at school is expected, but reading at home is vital.

Decades of research show when children lack access to books, they spend far less time reading, resulting in lower proficiency.

“The power of having any home library is really incredibly positive,” said Alison Angell, vice president of partnerships for Scholastic. She said access to books outside the classroom is one of the strongest predictors of academic success.

“When kids don’t have access to reading materials at home, they’re more likely to suffer learning losses when they’re out of school,” she said, “because when they’re out of school, they aren’t reading as much.”

Children not reading at grade level by the end of third grade are four times less likely to graduate from high school, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Children in poverty fare worse — being 13 times less likely to graduate.

“Yes, we do read here at school, but beyond that, reading at home increases the students’ vocabulary,” said elementary school principal Dr. LaKisha Wright. “It strengthens their comprehension. It’s just an extension of what we’re already doing.”

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Wright, who serves as principal of Dunbar Elementary in Atlanta, said a home library helps to make reading a part of a child’s daily life.

“If we can find them a book, the spark, the curiosity — then there’s no stopping those students at home reading to their families and to their friends,” Wright said.

The “If You Give a Child a Book…” campaign, in partnership with Scholastic, distributes books to students from lower-income neighborhoods with a focus on the critical kindergarten through third grade years.

“That’s when our students are transitioning,” Wright said. “The lower grades, they’re learning to read. But by the time they get to third grade, they’re reading to learn.”

So, if you give a child a book…

“You give them the keys to unlock a whole new world,” Angell said.

You can help ensure that even more students get free books to take home and call their own. You can donate now to the Scripps Howard Fund’s “If You Give a Child a Book…” campaign. A $12 donation provides two books for a child at one of our partner schools.

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