The Book Report

Books from Birth Closing Reading Gap

When a book arrives in the mail, a life changes. Over the past year, Shelby County Books from Birth (Books from Birth) partnered with The Urban Child Institute and Memphis City Schools to evaluate the effectiveness of the Books from Birth program. The evaluation is complete and the results are impressive! Children who participate in the Books from Birth program benefit from these meaningful advantages when compared with children who do not participate in the program: reading readiness scores 10% higher when they begin kindergarten better prepared for kindergarten are read to more and have more literacy support at home This research validates that the Books from Birth program has a measurable and significantly positive effect on language readiness scores for children in Shelby County, preparing them for success in the classroom and beyond.

Books from Birth is a real difference maker, and totally validates the money that is being invested on this program from the local, state and private sector. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam

What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child must be what the community wantsNora Capwell for all its children. Executive Director John Dewey
As parents, we all want the best for our children. We want them to get the best education and to receive the greatest opportunities. It doesnt matter who you are or where you live, we all want the same thing for our children. Shelby County Books from Birth wants the best for the children of Shelby County. We want all children to have strong family bonds and arrive at kindergarten prepared to learn, prepared to succeed. That is why we provide books to all children so they all can have the same opportunity to succeed. Books from Birth is currently helping over 31,000 children to succeed by providing monthly age-appropriate books directly to their home. These children will have the opportunity to experience the benefits of stronger reading habits and higher reading readiness scores when they arrive at kindergarten. The recent research findings from The Urban Child Institute are important not only to the Books from Birth program but to our community. It validates what we have known all along; the more books in a childs home, the better. This is a considerable benefit to our children in a city like Memphis where only 42% of kindergarteners enter school prepared to learn. Books from Birth is committed to the children in our community. We will continue to provide monthly books to all children under the age of five in Shelby County. Imagine if every child in our community had the opportunity to have books in their home and could experience the benefits and long-term results of participating in the Books from Birth program? As a community, it is not enough to just want what is best for my child, it is important to want what is best for all children. Thank you for your ongoing support!

Its grandparents and parents sitting down with their babies, with our future, with the next generation and focusing on whats so important. When we look at the art of reading, its so much the foundation of everything that we do. Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, Books from Birth Executive Director Nora Capwell, and Memphis Mayor A C Wharton

Weve gone from being that program that was not supposed to have worked to that program that has become the largest, in spite of all the odds. Memphis Mayor A C Wharton

The statistics are shocking. Only 42% of Memphis City School children enter kindergarten prepared to read. Imagine the benefit to our community if all children were enrolled in the Books from Birth program and could enter kindergarten prepared to learn?

Nora Capwell
Executive Director

Stories From Our Families

If you cant read, the doors close, early. And if they close early, your body grows up and you look like a grown person but the doors around you are closed. So it is so important that we learn how to read. Because reading leads to liberation. Sharonda W.

Learning starts at home and the Books from Birth books have definitely been a part of my childs learning success. Nicole P.

Donovan and Alexis Grandmother says: They get so excited when they receive their books. They ask to open them right away. Although they are just learning to read they tell the story so well just by looking at the pictures. Daniels Mom says: Because of Books from Birth we have an extensive library with a wide range of authors. We also have a variety of topics that we might not have chosen on our own. It has really broadened our interests!

Haiydns Dad says: Its amazing to us at just 27 months old, she can nearly recite her favorite books knowing she cant read a word of it.

All smiles after receiving a sticker for signing up for Books from Birth.

Families signed up for Books from Birth at the Memphis City School Pre-K Early Childhood Parent Learning Academy.

Books from Birth Partners with Local Area Pediatricians

Outreach continues to be the cornerstone of enrolling children in the Books from Birth program. To help ensure that a baby will receive the entire 60-book library available through the Books from Birth program, it is important to reach families as soon as possible after their childs birth. Since all newborns are not automatically enrolled in Books from Birth at their delivering hospital, we have teamed with local pediatricians to create the Prescription to Read initiative to reach families who have not previously enrolled their baby in the program. Doctors, nurses and office staff at participating pediatric practices will provide Prescription to Read applications to families with instructions to Receive a book for free every month for your child from birth until age five! Read together 20 minutes daily! Additionally, the doctor or staff will share the benefits of our program, the importance of early literacy and will encourage parents to enroll their child in Books from Birth. To ensure every babys enrollment, applications are completed during the babys pediatric appointment and Books from Birth volunteers collect the applications from the doctors offices. In the first two months of the pilot program, Memphis Pediatrics and The Raleigh Group have enrolled over 1,000 children! The Books from Birth outreach efforts have established incredible partnerships with many organizations throughout Shelby County who actively enroll children in our program. These agencies include: Volunteer State Health Plan United Healthcare Baptist Memorial Hospital Methodist Hospital St. Francis Hospital Regional Medical Center at Memphis LeBonheur Hospital Memphis City and Shelby County Schools Shelby County Head Start Porter Leath

Volunteer Spotlight

Sandra Abel is named Chief Volunteer at Books From Birth For over two years, Sandra Abel has come to the Books from Birth office twice a week and does just about anything. Sandra calls on families whose books are returned, goes to the post office, makes copies, attends community events, keeps the books organized, registers new families in the program and brings snacks for everyone in the office. Sandra is one of a kind and will do anything she can to help. Sandra claims that I just get into things and I cant let up. Books from Birth loves having Sandra around to get into things and Sandra loves being around to make sure more books get to more children.

With support from The United Way and The Junior League of Memphis, the Prescription to Read program will launch across Shelby County in June 2012.

Bartlett High School Seniors headed to a national championship for a community service project for Books from Birth!

Grace Burgess and Amber Dalehite present a check for $1,000 for their community service project benefitting Books from Birth for Distributive Education Clubs of America.

Governor and Mrs. Haslam enthusiastically endorse Books from Birth and the role it plays in preparing our youngest citizens for school readiness.

This research shows that getting books into the hands of our youngest Tennesseans makes a difference. Programs like Books from Birth and The Imagination Library help to give our children the foundation they need to excel in school and ultimately compete for high quality jobs. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam

Governor Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam at the Benjamin Hooks Library reading to kindergarteners from Lucie Campbell Elementary School.

You Can Help!

A donation of $12 can provide a year of books for one child, or $60 provides books for five years. With your support, Books from Birth can help more children be ready to learn and ready to succeed.
booksfrombirth.org

As a group, children who received books from the Books from Birth program reached school in stronger shape. In fact, on an 86-point scale of reading readiness, these kids are eight points higher than children who were not in the program. This difference remains even after we adjust for family income and pre-school experience.
Doug Imig, Ph.D.,
Resident Fellow at The Urban Child Institute

5865 Ridgeway Center Parkway, Suite 300 Memphis, TN 38120

An affiliate of Dolly Partons Imagination Library

Books from Birth is changing lives by promoting kindergarten readiness and strengthening family bonds in Shelby County. We greatly appreciate your support!

Board of Directors
Matt Robbins Chair Kim MacQueen Vice-Chair Ed Stanton Past Chair Diane Chambliss Secretary Mack McCaul Treasurer Carmen Blatteis Kemp Conrad Sally Walker Davies David Harris John Jackson Jenny Mallery Vergos Katie Midgley Demetri Patikas

Chloee Poag Betsy Saslawsky Mary Scheuner Peter Schutt Carol Seamons Teri Shanahan Bianca Sweeten Donald Wagner Hallie Ward Staff Nora Capwell Executive Director Michelle Weinberg Marketing & Communications Director

booksfrombirth.org 901-820-4501

Provide a child a book a month for $12 a year. $60 for 5 Years.