HOME BOARD SERVING CHILDREN PROGRAMS LITERACY PARTNERS VOLUNTEERING WHY BOOKS? BOARD NOMINATIONS/ QUESTIONNAIRE READ SEED P O Box 11518 1415 HOLLOWAY ST DURHAM, NC 27703 919-224-9482 givethembooksnow @yahoo.com

The Answers May Surprise You... Low reading levels in America contribute to poor academic achievement. This is a fact that we are familiar with. However, behind this fact are a few realities that must be faced and challenged. Low reading skills contribute to higher levels of unemployment, poverty, welfare and crime, as well as increased school dropout rates. Research findings are overwhelming and consistent - children who do not read are destined to experience difficulty achieving the American Dream of financial security and self-actualization. Carnegie Foundation surveyed 7,000 kindergarten teachers and found that 35 percent of new students were not "fully ready to participate in formal education." Statistics get little better as children advance in school when lack of reading skills is problematic. US Department of Education research revealed that most American children lack key reading skills. The numbers tell the story; 75% of 4th graders, 71% of 8th graders and 65% of 12th graders do not perform at "proficient" reading levels. Low wealth children are disproportionately victimized by reading skill deficiency and are at higher risk for negative lifestyles. When we consider that in America more than 40% of children live below the poverty line, what chance do they have to improve their life opportunities? Is There A Way To Turn This Picture Around? Is There Hope And Help For Our Children? Yes! Books In The Home! They Can Make The Difference! More than any other single factor, "Books In The Home" is significant for academic achievement. We must give books now because... 61% of low wealth children have NO BOOKS at all in their homes. For the poorest children in America, lack of books is the greatest barrier to academic achievement. Children in low wealth households own approximately 10 times fewer books than children in middle class households. The gap between low and high wealth children's reading comprehension scores is over 40 points. The positive effects of book ownership are immediate. Not just for the children, but interaction with family is enhanced. Reading offers children the world from book pages. They can travel the world and dream of places they may never visit except with their minds. "When laying the foundation for academic achievement, books are more important than money" - David Dickenson (Bridges to Literacy: Children, Families, and Schools)  Pictures  •  Directions  •  Read Seed Shopping HOME · SERVING CHILDREN · PROGRAMS · PARTNERS · VOLUNTEERING

Serving the children of North Carolina in the literacy challenge READ SEED · P O Box 11518 · DURHAM, NC 27703 · 919-224-9482