How to use this Page

Lydia sat with her two children in the waiting room. Her eldest read aloud from his new book, pausing every now and again to teach his mother and younger sister how to say the words in English. His little sister beamed with pride when he let her turn the page.

Andrea Gatewood of the Nassau County (NY) Department of Health knows that providing new books to families like Lydia’s leads to priceless interactions. For the past ten years, she and her colleagues at the Nassau County Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program have been giving books from First Book to the local low-income women and children they serve.

Traditionally, WIC programs supply women who are pregnant or recently gave birth and children up to age five found to be at nutritional risk with supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition education. But at five WIC sites in Nassau County, families also receive colorful new books.

“The books from First Book teach children how to count, the alphabet, the importance of family, other languages, colors, different foods and incentives to promote physical activity,” said Andrea. “They strengthen family bonds, promote diversity and improve literacy.”

Andrea takes great care in selecting books that are both engaging and culturally relevant as nearly 100 percent of the children she serves come from minority households.

“We have distributed books at Christmas, Halloween and to kick off the school year. Our goal is to reach as many children as possible,” Andrea shared. “The partnership between First Book and WIC has allowed thousands of children to receive brand new books and will have a lasting impact on an individual and community level.”

Over the past ten years, the Nassau WIC Program has received approximately 20,000 books from First Book, thanks to grant funding made possible by members of the First Book – Long Island volunteer chapter and the Guru Krupa Foundation. The Foundation, based in Jericho, New York, funds initiatives related to education, health and basic sustenance of underprivileged children in India and the United States, and has helped First Book provide more than 51,000 books to children in need in the greater New York and Los Angeles areas in the past two years.

“We at Guru Krupa Foundation believe that education is a cornerstone for future success in life,” said Mukund Padmanabhan, president of the Guru Krupa Foundation. “Supporting initiatives that bring the benefits of education to underprivileged children can lead to enormous future dividends, not only for the children but to society.”

Join the Guru Krupa Foundation in supporting program leaders like Andrea by making a gift to First Book. Just $2.50 provides a brand-new book to a child in need.

The post Books Strengthen Family Bonds appeared first on First Book Blog.

When Estrella Elementary opened their doors in 2010, they had barely any books available to students. A Title I school located in an impoverished Los Angeles neighborhood, Estrella can only supply a limited number of books and educational resources to each classroom, and has no books at all to help their students at home.

This lack is not lost on the teachers and staff.

“They need much more than just classroom reading,” said Ana Martinez, a teacher at Estrella Elementary. “Schools and individual classrooms alike need a plethora of books that will spark student’s interest and that will inspire them to learn on their own.”

Thanks to the generosity of the Guru Krupa Foundation, First Book was able to change that.

Before Estrella closed its doors for summer vacation, every student was able to select up to three books to take home as their own, combating the summer slide. The students were overjoyed. Some asked when they had to return the books. The answer is: never. Those books are theirs to keep and read over summer vacation.

“I can’t wait to read these books during the summer,” said Alma, a third-grader. “I always wanted my very own chapter book. I’m going to set a goal to finish all three books over the summer. I want to read to my mom and little brothers so that they can learn English too.”

Estrella Elementary is one of 14 schools that now have brand-new books to put into the hands of their students thanks to the Guru Krupa Foundation. Through a generous grant, the Guru Krupa Foundation has made an immense impact by distributing more than 9,500 books across 14 different schools in Los Angeles.

It was an article in the New York Times that first drew the attention of Mukund Padmanabhan, president of the Guru Krupa Foundation, to First Book.

“The New York Times article made us aware of First Book’s activities, and funding a project with them to put books into the hands of young readers fit right in with our education-related initiatives,” said Mukund Padmanabhan. “We at Guru Krupa Foundation believe that education is a cornerstone for future success in life. Supporting initiatives that bring the benefits of education to underprivileged children can lead to enormous future dividends, not only for the children but to society.”

Guru Krupa Foundation is a New York based private foundation that funds various initiatives related to education, health, and basic sustenance of underprivileged children in India and the United States.

The post Books of Their Own to Take Home: The Guru Krupa Foundation & Summer Reading appeared first on First Book Blog.