Nutritional deficiencies and the absence of summer reading both negatively impact a child’s learning achievement. By the end of sixth grade, low income children read an average of two years behind their peers. Recognizing children from families that cannot afford food often lack funds for books, this unique partnership bridges the summer learning gap to help children succeed in school. For many children, these are the only books they own at home.

This program innovatively combines multiple partnerships and community initiatives to help under-served children stay healthy and achieve their full academic potential. This approach maximizes community resources and can be replicated by other libraries located in communities with food banks. Internally, employee morale improves as staff willingly help with preparing the books, stickering, sorting and bundling. Externally, this program strengthens Pioneer’s relationship with local schools and positions the library as a caring partner in education.

As a result of this program, 1,600 low income children can now spend their summers reading books and preparing for success in school. Grateful children from various schools have signed thank you notes to Pioneer indicating how much they enjoy and appreciate the books. One school counselor reported that a little girl told her she reads her favorite book every night. Other counselors have commented that the children seem more enthusiastic about learning.