In response to the COVID-19 virus, our libraries have closed, greatly restricting free access to books for all families.
To fill the gap, Northshore Schools Foundation has been collecting children's books and have them ready to deliver to the homes of Northshore students, all you need to do is to fill out an online form, and books will be delivered to your home.
Books in the home make a difference beyond literacy. In 2001, a study was done that found that in middle-class neighborhoods, children have multiple opportunities to use and purchase age-appropriate books, an average of 13 books per child. In low-income households, it is one book per 300 children. We have just closed the libraries in our area.
According to Scholastic Books site and findings published by Pacific Standard, literacy levels for students surge at 80 books. Being surrounded by lots and lots of books where they live helps children build vocabulary, increase awareness and comprehension, and expand horizons — all benefiting them in adulthood, according to the study.
But beyond literacy, the study’s authors found a correlation between homes full of books and both the “ability to use mathematical concepts in everyday life” and “the ability to use digital technology to communicate with others.”