As we kick off the new school year, did you know that children who are not able to read at grade level by third grade are four times less likely to graduate from high school?
Giving the gift of reading can literally change a child's life. That's why all day Tuesday, WXYZ is holding our annual "If You Give A Child A Book" campaign.
Related: Give A Child A Book: Donate today to help give books to children in our communities!
Our day of giving raises money to buy brand-new, age-appropriate books for kids in our community.
I recently visited one of the schools that knows all about it.
HELP GIVE A CHILD A BOOK BY CLICKING HERE
Alexander Covington, 12, loves reading. The 7th grader at Detroit Edison Public School Academy has participated in the last four annual book giveaways WXYZ has held at his school, bringing home 20 new books.
“Do you ever just read for fun?" I asked him.
"Sometimes I read to my little brother for fun," he said.
“Have you read to him any of the books you got at the giveaway?"
“Yeah, he really loves the Dragon books that I got," he said.
Alexander was one of 685 kids at the Detroit charter school who had a chance to pick out five new books each last spring during our giveaway.
“Reading proficiency is key. When students have easy access at home, to go ahead to their bedroom or their bookcase and select a book, not only does it give them some pleasure, but it also allows them to think critically, it allows to build their vocabulary, it allows them to visit just about any part of the world that they want to," Principal Tamara Collins said.
A half-dozen schools in metro Detroit and many others around the nation have benefitted this year from the campaign – which is a Scripps Howard Fund literacy initiative.
In April, the "If You Give A Child A Book" campaign celebrated giving away its one-millionth children's book at Pepper Elementary School in Oak Park.
Why is this important? Several studies indicate that roughly one-third of the youngest school kids are behind on reading benchmarks, higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Putting age-appropriate books in the home has been proven to help. A 20-year international study found the greatest predictor of academic achievement is the number of books in the home.
Donations from WXYZ employees and the Scripps Howard Fund, along with contributions from local businesses and your donations, will mean new books for elementary school children right here in Southeast Michigan.
“This is truly one of the best days of the year – working with the community, our employees, business leaders. We’re able to put thousands of books into the hands of families throughout metro Detroit. And the best part of it is every single dollar that you contribute goes directly to buying the books – age-appropriate new books for children," WXYZ General Manager Mike Murri said.
With your donation today, you could be the hero of a child's story.
Adam is looking forward to picking out five more new books when the giveaway comes back later this year.
You can also text 'WXYZ" to 50155 to make a donation.
