WXYZ-TV Helping to Give the Gift of Literacy

Scripps Media’s WXYZ-TV (Detroit) has launched its annual “If You Give a Child a Book …” campaign, supported by the Scripps Howard Foundation.  In a release, the station says “we believe giving children books can take them to new places, open their imaginations, fuel big dreams, plant the seeds for future success and help break the cycle of poverty.”

The campaign provides children with a variety of books especially for those living in low-income neighborhoods. “The program focuses on kids in kindergarten through third grade because this is when children are still learning to read, and by equipping them with reading material, we are helping them create a strong foundation.”

WXYZ is encouraging views to make monetary donations to support the project.  Every 5 dollars contributed goes to buying at least one new book.

The initiative also reinforces educators’ important work by helping students build home libraries. What’s more, several higher education studies have found that when children select their books, they are more likely to enjoy reading and score higher on comprehension tests.

More information on the campaign can be found here.