August 23, 2011 -- America SCORES Bay Area is announcing the kick off of a “My Home Library” Campaign to help improve childhood literacy in the Bay Area. Researchers have found that the number of books a child owns strongly predicts reading achievement — even after controlling for the parents’ education levels and income. America SCORES is in the unique position to leverage the excitement around the soccer field to help students access books and become life-long readers.
My Home Library will make books more accessible to children, helping them learn to love reading as much as they do soccer.
America SCORES is resolved to help children find their voice. Yet when students do not have the opportunity to read independently and own great writing, it is unlikely they will become authors themselves.
In San Francisco, nearly two out of three economically disadvantaged students in third grade are below proficient in their reading and writing skills. If a child can’t read by third grade, there is a 75% chance they’ll fall behind in school and never catch up. This is unacceptable when we know something as simple as book-ownership can make a difference.
If these students fall behind, their motivation for school will evaporate. When it comes to reading, childhood has no second chances.
The implications of illiteracy on individuals can be tragic and the costs to society are enormous. Among adults at the lowest level of literacy proficiency, 43% live in poverty, and 85% of juvenile offenders have reading problems. Nearly one-half of all adults in U.S. federal and state correctional institutions cannot read or write at all. Suffice to say that illiteracy and low literacy can be linked to almost every socio-economic problem in the United States and abroad.
America SCORES brings play to language and to sport and now we bring books to children’s homes and soccer fields. With the help of our partners and supporters, we can give each child a team, a soccer coach, a writing coach, a jersey, a soccer ball, and writing supplies. And now we plan to give them books to call their own.
We believe children succeed when given support, opportunity the inspiration. We hope my Home Library becomes one of the important ways America SCORES helps children turn the page toward a better future. As students learn to read and to express themselves and to articulate their goals, they will become the authors of their future.
Our Goal:
To improve childhood literacy in the Bay Area by providing every America SCORES poet-athlete with ten books for their home library.
How You Can Help:
• Donate Online
• Purchase Books from our Amazon Wish List
• Bring or send books to our office - 400 Alabama St., SF, CA 94110
*Please make sure books are appropriate for grades 1-5.
Posted by: Colin Schmidt, Executive Director
References:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/a-book-in-every-home-and-then-some/?ref=opinion&nl=opinion&emc=tya1
http://www.readingtree.org/about-us/54
http://www.firstbook.org/images/pdf/Statistics-on-Literacy.pdf
If the campaign goes as hoped, each poet-athlete in our program will receive ten books to take home and read as they please. When they get tired of any book, they can bring it to an America SCORES Community Saturday Soccer Game and exchange it for free for another one at the SCORES on-field Book Zone."One study found that in middle income neighborhoods the ratio is 13 books per child; in low-income neighborhoods, the ratio is one book for every 300 children."
(Neuman, Susan B. and David K. Dickinson, ed. Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Volume 2. New York, NY: 2006)
My Home Library will make books more accessible to children, helping them learn to love reading as much as they do soccer.
America SCORES is resolved to help children find their voice. Yet when students do not have the opportunity to read independently and own great writing, it is unlikely they will become authors themselves.
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| Poet-athletes reading and writing on the field! |
If these students fall behind, their motivation for school will evaporate. When it comes to reading, childhood has no second chances.
The implications of illiteracy on individuals can be tragic and the costs to society are enormous. Among adults at the lowest level of literacy proficiency, 43% live in poverty, and 85% of juvenile offenders have reading problems. Nearly one-half of all adults in U.S. federal and state correctional institutions cannot read or write at all. Suffice to say that illiteracy and low literacy can be linked to almost every socio-economic problem in the United States and abroad.
America SCORES brings play to language and to sport and now we bring books to children’s homes and soccer fields. With the help of our partners and supporters, we can give each child a team, a soccer coach, a writing coach, a jersey, a soccer ball, and writing supplies. And now we plan to give them books to call their own.
We believe children succeed when given support, opportunity the inspiration. We hope my Home Library becomes one of the important ways America SCORES helps children turn the page toward a better future. As students learn to read and to express themselves and to articulate their goals, they will become the authors of their future.
Our Goal:
To improve childhood literacy in the Bay Area by providing every America SCORES poet-athlete with ten books for their home library.
How You Can Help:
• Donate Online
• Purchase Books from our Amazon Wish List
• Bring or send books to our office - 400 Alabama St., SF, CA 94110
*Please make sure books are appropriate for grades 1-5.
Posted by: Colin Schmidt, Executive Director
References:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/a-book-in-every-home-and-then-some/?ref=opinion&nl=opinion&emc=tya1
http://www.readingtree.org/about-us/54
http://www.firstbook.org/images/pdf/Statistics-on-Literacy.pdf
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