The American Academy of Pediatrics recently announced guidelines that recommend parents read to their children every day from birth. Fewer than half of the children younger than 5 years old in the United States are read to daily and studies have shown that far too many youngsters – especially those living in poverty – are facing achievement gaps as a result of lack of access to regular reading.
Booksstillmatter.org is an initiative of the Yoswein Foundation that is seeking to help close the literacy gap for New York City children by providing free books and helping to foster a life-long love of reading. While technologies such as tablets and smart phones certainly have a place in children’s lives, Books Still Matter is unabashedly old-school in its focus on creating a love of good old fashioned printed, hard copy books!
Books do still matter….books that children can hold, feel, smell and call their very own. Let’s be honest…can we even compare a list of downloaded e-book titles that appears on a laptop with a stack of books next to one’s bed waiting to be explored? And while every child should utilize his/her local public library to borrow as many books as possible, there is a definite pride of ownership in having one’s own books that is important to children on numerous levels. Booksstillmatter.org is focused on helping to build that pride by building a child’s own personal book collection.
100% of the new books donated to Booksstillmatter.org are distributed to New York City children, with a focus on young people living in the City’s NYCHA housing developments. Partnering with local tenant associations and other local leaders, the Yoswein Foundation is committed to helping open the door to literacy and achievement through developing a love of reading and books.
To find out more about donating new books or to inquire about securing/distributing donated books, please call Yoswein New York at 212-233-5700 or email booksstillmatter@yny.com
As Maya Angelou said, “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” We couldn’t agree more and that’s why we believe so strongly that books still do matter.