KNTR Awarded $25,000 National Grant from Kathy and Jerry Wood Foundation

Mesa, AZ, June 25, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Kids Need to Read sincerely thanks the Kathy and Jerry Wood Foundation, a private, charitable foundation, for awarding $25,000 to the READ Together program. The Foundation focuses on education and will fully fund the implementation of READ Together at ten underfunded elementary schools located in various regions of the United States, providing each with the resources necessary to continue the program year after year.

READ Together partners with schools to encourage adult caregivers to read every day with their children. The program utilizes a wealth of leveled books, educational resources, tips for caregivers on the go, and inspiration, all designed to increase at-home reading activities on a daily basis. Through a consistent, effective approach, young students will develop vital reading skills that will serve them throughout their educational years and beyond.

Children who are routinely read to day in and day out—and immersed in rich talk about books and the various activities in which they are engaged—thrive. And those children with less exposure to books face tougher learning challenges in school and beyond. —Scholastic, Early Literacy

It has been established that forty-five percent of our nation’s children reside in neighborhoods and homes that lack access to books and libraries, and many attend schools that cannot afford to purchase books. The READ Together program was selected for funding because of its foundational focus on increasing reading proficiency levels among disadvantaged kindergarten and first grade students for their future success.

READ Together Partners:
Highlights for Children, Inc.
Kathy and Jerry Wood Foundation
Mesa Host Lions Club

About Kids Need to Read:
Founded with a passion to improve the lives of disadvantaged children by providing inspiring book collections and engaging literacy programs to underfunded schools, libraries, and organizations across the nation, Kids Need to Read aspires to empower and embolden every last child through a culture of reading. For many of the children it serves, Kids Need to Read represents a crucial link to a strong literacy education, and its programs help build and nurture support systems that these children may be lacking elsewhere in their lives. By immersing children in an integrated world of literary experiences that teaches them, firsthand, the impact of reading on every aspect of life, imagination is ignited and confidence is built for a prosperous future, regardless of race, economic status, or personal capabilities.

Media Contact:
Lori Cothrun, Operations Director
Kids Need to Read
(480) 256-0115
www.kidsneedtoread.org
lori@kidsneedtoread.org