Reading is the foundation of learning, and when a child isn’t reading at age level by the third grade, their future is less certain. Why? Third grade is the critical time when students go from learning to read to reading to learn. This milestone is the leading predictor for graduating high school, attending college and future career success.
Did you know that three out of four Nashville third graders are not reading at grade level?
At Nashville Public Library, we are fighting to change this statistic. The library is the literary hub of the city, and our programs are reaching kids every step of the way to make this statistic a thing of the past.
Great things happen when you give.
Bringing Books to Life! is a free early literacy outreach program that promotes children’s reading readiness by incorporating tools and activities for teachers, young children and their families. Last year, the program educated 14,657 participants at story times, workshops, performances and trainings.
Thanks to Limitless Libraries, Metro students have access to the library’s collection with their school ID. Last year, Limitless Libraries circulated 131,000 items to 80,000 students and teachers, a 19% increase from the previous year.
Last September, we launched Read to Rise, a year-long program that instills a love of reading from birth by encouraging parents to read to their kids every day for 20 minutes.
This past summer, nearly 19,000 teens, children an adults read for a total of 18,544,598 minutes as part of our Summer Reading Challenge, a program designed to keep kids engaged so they don’t lose critical reading and cognitive skills during summer break.
To reach any more kids in 2020, we need you.
This holiday season, all donations to the Nashville Public Library Foundation will go directly to supporting and growing our child literacy efforts. Because a child who reads is a child who leads.