Educators in Southwest Florida told Fox 4 there are so many kids who don’t have a book of their own. Their families have to make the painful decision between putting food on the table, or a book in their child’s hands.
Fox 4 is owned by E.W. Scripps, and every year for “National Reading Day,” our company’s charitable organization, the Scripps Howard Foundation, commits to raising money to give books to kids in need as part of our “If you give a child a book…” Campaign.
“National Reading Day” is in January, but Fox 4 is raising money now to make sure these kids get the books they need and deserve. Studies show kids who grow up with books in their homes have a major advantage over children who do not.
“A lot of our parents, they have a choice between purchasing a book, or purchasing the meal that night,” Tallica Tidwell, an Early Learning Advisor for the Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida, told Fox 4.
“Their families are hard-pressed to put food on the table, to make sure they have air conditioning in the hot summer, that they have transportation and clothes, and so on,” Susan Block, the CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida, said.
Both Block and Tidwell said they’ve seen firsthand a child in one of their programs getting their first book of their own.
“At nap time, the child is holding the book on the cot. And the teacher said ‘Let me put book in your cubby.’ ‘No.’ ‘Well, we're going to send this book home with you later.’ ‘No.’ The child understood that book was very valuable to them,” Block said.
She said just like any other family, these parents want their children to succeed. Getting books in the hands of these children helps keep them in line with their peers and gives them a chance to make a better life for themselves. But there are obstacles in the way. And Fox 4 wants to help those families overcome them.
“If we're able to provide these books to these children, where they get the firsthand experiences, and it's a positive experience, and that's their book for them to keep, and for them to own, it just makes it that much better. It's a lifelong love of learning, which is what we want,” Tidwell said.
If you’d like to donate, click here. All donations will help kids in Southwest Florida.
