Only half of Sacramento 3
rd graders can read at grade level.
Many of my students don't have books at home and can't get to the library.
School may have stopped, but time hasn’t. Our kids are continuing to grow, and every day spent away from their educational routines can lead to developmental setbacks. This is amplified for children without access to reading materials and enrichment at home. Now, more than ever, local kids need more support to develop their reading skills.
“Many of my students don’t have books at home and can’t get to the library." For years, we’ve heard this from local teachers. In 2016, we sought to change it with Book First.
What is Book First?
Together, Sacramento Public Library and the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library head into local schools to reach kids who are underserved, and put a book in the hand of every 1
st grader — a book they can take home. Since 2016, we’ve provided almost 47,000 kids with their very own book, for many their very first book.
What can one book do?
That one book sets off sparks of joy that it is theirs to keep, and can both inspire a lifelong love of reading, and be a foundational piece of their educational development.
“Can I really take this home? I never have to return it? This is the first book I have ever owned!"
As students bask in that excitement, we know what that one book can really do — positively impact their academic growth and future. *
What will my donation do?
Your donation will put books into the hands of kids who are most in need, inspire a love of reading, and help connect kids to the library at a critical time in their development — two years before state testing. Currently, only half of Sacramento 3
rd graders can read at grade level. **
We can change that by providing books to 1
st graders in need — but we can only do it with your help. In the coming year, we will also expand Book First to provide opportunities for 1
st grade classes to visit the library. Please donate on the Big Day of Giving to make a difference for Sacramento kids.
$25 = Books for 8 students
$75 = Books for 1 classroom
$150 = Books for 1 school
$250 = Bus for 1 class visit to the library
* Science Says: A Book-Filled Home Has Benefits Beyond Reading for Kids
** CAASPP ELA/Literacy Results for All Achievement Levels by Selected Grade