Send a Child Back to School Ready to Read

For most kids, back-to-school season means a fresh backpack and new supplies. For a child who's struggling to read, it can also mean another year of falling behind before the first bell even rings.

This August, DREAMS KC is partnering with Square Rootz KC to support Duffle Bag Apparel's "I AM THE BAG" Back-to-School Extravaganza to change that. Alongside the free backpacks and school supplies every child will receive, we're putting decodable book sets directly into the hands of young and striving readers—the kind of foundational reading tools they can take home, keep, and grow with.

These aren't just any books. Decodable readers are built on the science of how children actually learn to read. They give a child the chance to practice the exact skills that make reading possible—one page, one word, one small victory at a time. And because families take them home, the learning doesn't stop when the event ends.

Our goal is simple: 75 book sets for 75 children.

Here's what your gift does:

$35 puts a complete decodable book set in one child's hands
$70 reaches two children
$175 reaches five children
$350 reaches ten children
$700 reaches twenty children

Every funded set means a child heading into the school year with something powerful in their backpack: the tools to become a reader.

School supplies help a child start the year. Books help a child access it. Will you help us send 75 children back to school ready to read?

With gratitude,

Catina K. Taylor

Founder & CEO, DREAMS KC

Literacy is liberation.

Backpacks + Books

Sending Young Readers Back to School Ready 2 READ