United way book club
Over 80% of the children in the northeast TN school systems are NOT reading proficiently by 3rd grade. It’s more important than ever to help young kids develop a love of reading. That’s why here at United Way of East TN Highlands, we’ve created the Book Club. Our Book Club was created to give you the opportunity to make books more accessible to our children as we work together to fill the libraries of our local youth-focused organizations.
Reading is critical to success in school, work, and life. Research shows that students who are strong readers by the end of 3rd grade are more likely to graduate high school. Until 3rd grade, kids are learning to read. After that, they’re reading to learn – and building a foundation for success in school, work, and life. Kids with strong reading skills are stronger critical thinkers with a better vocabulary, for example, 1 in 6 children who are not reading proficiently by 3rd grade do not graduate from high school on time, a rate four times greater than that of proficient readers.
Levels of Support
Choose the level of support you’d like to give based on the amount of books you’d like to provide.
Basic Books ($5 monthly) – From classics like Flat Stanley and The Very Hungry Caterpillar to newer books like I Am Enough and All Are Welcome, the gift of Basic Books will give our youngest readers a strong foundation to grow from.
Ready 2 Read ($10 monthly)- Our Ready 2 Read level provides 2 books each month to a local afterschool organization so that kids who are ready to read have access to beginner level books so they can begin developing and growing a vocabulary.
Weekly Reader ($20 monthly)- The Weekly Reader provides a book each week, so that those who are growing in their desire to read have a new book to read each week. If you’re the type of person who reads a lot, you understand the desire to read a new book.
Bookshelf Buddy ($30 monthly)- Our Bookshelf Buddies are on a path to filling a whole shelf of books for our children to read and enjoy. With our ability to get discounted bulk pricing, filling an entire bookshelf with books has never been easier.
Classroom Hero ($40 monthly)- Classroom Heroes are just that, heroes. You know and understand the value of reading at a young age and continuing to develop a love for books at every stage. Classroom Heroes have the ability to fill a classroom with more than 100 new books each year.
Library Legend ($50 monthly)- We don’t take the term “legend” lightly, but our Library Legends are on track to completely refill an afterschool organization’s library with books of all reading levels.