For 17 years, Make Way for Books has provided early literacy programs that reach young children in some of the highest-need communities in Tucson and Southern Arizona.
Research shows that reading aloud to young children is the single most important activity for building the skills kids need for future learning. Yet, 2/3 of children in poverty do not have books and are not read to regularly.
“Literacy experiences in the early years are the building blocks of a child’s brain and impact all future learning,” said Make Way for Books Executive Director Jenny Volpe.
The Sundt Foundation’s $2,000 gift provides high-quality books for a preschool classroom collection as well as a lending library that allows children and families to check out books to share at home. As a result of the program last year, 94 percent of families said they increased the time they read together. Additionally, 96 percent of children gained pre-reading skills that ensure they will enter kindergarten ready to read and on-track for academic success.
More than half of children from low-income homes in our community enter school up to two years behind in language and pre-reading skills. With access to this program, children are able to develop the skills they need to read on level.
One father of a participating preschooler said, “I wasn’t a good reader and I’m not a good reader. We never had a program like this when I was growing up. But my daughter goes to get the books. This program taught her a lot. Now we are interacting with each other. Now we read together.”
Funding from the Sundt Foundation is being used to stock the program at El Rio Preschool and Infant-Toddler Center.
“The donation has an incredible impact,” Jenny said. “It’s another preschool we can say yes to. It’s another 100 children we can impact and start on the path to success.”
Make Way for Books’ goal is to reach 30,000 kids a year. That can only happen through private support.
“In the past four years, we have quadrupled our capacity but the need is still there,” Jenny said.
This article is part of a series of stories about the positive impacts of Sundt Foundation grants.