March 28, 2023
For Immediate Release
Contact: Christine Elegante, k-3 literacy specialist,
801-538-7782, christine.elegante@schools.utah.gov
USBE Partners with Kids Read Now to Provide Free Books to K-3 Students in Utah
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) has partnered with Kids Read Now, an innovative nonprofit program that provides free books to young students to encourage positive reading habits during the summer months.
Thanks to the generous support from the Utah legislature, every K-3 student attending a Title 1 school, or a school participating in the Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program can participate in the five-year program that mails free books directly to students’ homes. This initiative is part of a larger legislative initiative to provide resources to raise reading scores for all children statewide.
“We are excited for this partnership as a way to provide our kindergarten through third-grade students and their families with books they can engage with in their homes. Books help open the door to a child’s imagination and build new knowledge and experiences of the world—what a great opportunity for Utah’s families,” said Utah’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Sydnee Dickson.
To encourage parent-student engagement, the inside cover of each Kids Read Now book features four reading activities to inspire further discussion. Additionally, parents will have the opportunity to opt-in for reading reminders via text or push notification. Students participating in the program will get to keep the books they receive at no cost to their families.
Established as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit in 2012, Kids Read Now is dedicated to eliminating the summer reading slide among America’s disadvantaged youth. According to independent research, the implementation of a reading slide prevention program can drastically reduce intervention costs resulting from summer learning loss. Over the past decade, Kids Read Now has provided almost three million books to hundreds of thousands of PreK-5 students. By helping children in the critical PreK-5 years, supplemental reading programs set the foundation for a love of books that carries into the future— fostering a lifelong love of learning.
About Kid Reads Now
Leib and Barbara Lurie established Kids Read Now as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit in 2012 as an initiative dedicated to eliminating the summer reading slide among America’s disadvantaged youth. This innovative reading program eliminates the summer reading slide for over 1,000 schools coast to coast—for a small fraction of the cost of summer school per student. Independent research confirmed “…the impact of Kids Read Now can more than eradicate the entire two months of summer learning loss experienced by low-income students.” — Geoffrey D. Borman, PhD