Parents Can Easily Help Stock Their Childs School Libraries
More and more school systems throughout the metropolitan New York area are facing budget cuts, with the possibility of losing the vital educational resources their students need to succeed. The Brooke Jackman Foundation has teamed up with NYMetroParents to provide a solution that will stock school libraries with thousands of books, while encouraging parents to showcase their support for literacy. Books 4 Our School, the month-long challenge created by the two organizations, engages parents to show their school spirit by voting for their childrens schools. A total of 20 schools will receive 75-100 brand new books for their libraries: 10 schools that rally the most parents and garner the most votes and 10 schools selected at random. Books 4 Our School kicks off March 26 and runs through April 30, 2012.
In addition to easing stresses school libraries may suffer as a result of decreases in funding, Books 4 Our School also has many other positive impacts within a childs life. A study released by the Department of Education states that the evidence is consistent, positive, and convincing: families have a major influence on their childrens achievement in school and through life. When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more. Books 4 Our School is designed to do just that, encouraging parents to become advocates for their childs literacy. For these free books to be provided to a school, parents must be proactive in registering their childs school for the program and then mobilizing other family members and adults within the community to then vote for the school.
The Brooke Jackman Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes literacy for at-risk children, has always bridged this bond between a students learning and their loved ones through the after-school and family literacy programs it offers throughout the New York area. Books 4 Our School is just one more way the Brooke Jackman Foundation is emphasizing the positive impact that a familys involvement can have on a childs education.