Million Books for Kids Campaign
Fundraise for The I AM Foundation
"The greatest gift you can give is the gift of learning." -Oprah
Is your school/organization in need of books? Please fill out our recipient application.
The I AM Foundation
responded to the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina immediately
by providing over 42,000 books to children and families affected by
this disaster. Here is a letter testifying to the impact The I AM
Foundation had on these families:
"Without
the I AM Book and Music Gifting Team, Katrina's Angels would be at a
loss to help the children in the gulf. Conquering illiteracy is a cause
near and dear to my heart. When I first learned of the I AM Foundation,
I had no idea what a blessing the organization would be to Katrina's
Angels and their clients…. Katrina's Angels wants to take this time to
thank you and your foundation for all you are doing to support the
efforts of Katrina's Angels to provide direct help in the
poverty-stricken and now hurricane-ravaged gulf areas. " - Karen Iwicki, Resource Director, Katrina's Angels
Literacy Facts
Access to Books is Essential to Reading Development
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Studies show that having access to a wide variety of reading materials is essential if a child is to develop into a strong reader. In fact, the only behavioral measure that correlates significantly with reading scores is the number of books in the home. (1)
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Children who are read to frequently are nearly twice as likely as other children to show three or more skills associated with emerging literacy. (2)
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The more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency. (3)
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Students who do more reading at home are better readers and have higher math scores. (4)
Children in Poverty are the Most at Risk
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35.6 million Americans — 40% of them children — are currently living below the poverty line. (5)
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Children from low-income families enter school at a disadvantage. The gap between children from low and high-income families on reading comprehension scores is more than 40 points. (6)
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On average low-income children have far fewer literacy and language experiences at home than their classmates. Low-income children are 50% more likely than children from high-income families to be seven years old or older and still in the first grade. (7)
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Children from low-income families are less likely to attend pre-kindergarten programs, more likely to have trouble with their schoolwork and more likely to repeat grades in school. (8)
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A team of researchers recently concluded that nearly two thirds of the low-income families they studied owned no books for their children. (9)
References
1. McQuillan, Jeff. The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions. 1998
2. Nord, C.W., Lennon, J., Liu, B., Chandler, K. (1999). Home Literacy Activities and Signs of Children's Emerging Literacy: 1993 and 1999. (from the National Center for Family Literacy, 2005.)
3. McQuillan, Jeff . "The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions." 1998.
4. Barton, P.E., & Coley, R.J. (1992). America's Smallest School: The Family. (from the National Center for Family Literacy, 2005.)
5. Butler, Owen. "Early Help for Kids at Risk: Our Nation's Best Investment." National Education Association, 1989.
6. The Condition of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993.
7. Reading Literacy in the United States, 1996. US Department of Education.
8. Joseph Dalaker and Naifeh, Mary. "Poverty in the United States: 1997" United States Bureau of the Census, September, 1998.
9. 9. McQuillan, Jeff. "The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions." 1998.The I AM Foundation's Million Books for Kids Campaign has donated books to schools, libraries and homes of children affected by the hurricanes. We have shipped over 47,000 books since the hurricanes hit. In total we have gifted and distributed over one million books and products since we began in 1998.