Building Equity Through Literacy

Our mission is to provide parents and families with tangible resources to bridge the literacy gap that we see in our communities. Children in low-income communities aren’t getting the opportunity to increase language development, practice proficient reading habits, or prolong their academic trajectory due to lack of access to books. Many parts of Los Angeles are considered “book deserts” because most households don’t have books in the home and there is limited availability or lack of resources to purchase books in the community.

We urgently aim to get backpacks filled with books and school supplies to under-resourced children in Los Angeles. As the pandemic has progressed and children have not been able to return to schools, we realized how the pandemic's inequities were harming children's education in a multitude of ways. During non-pandemic times, the ratio of age-appropriate books is 1 for every 13 children in middle-income communities. In low-income communities, the ratio of age-appropriate books is 1 for every 300 children. It is estimated that COVID-19 will increase the existing achievement gap by 15-20% amongst Black and Latinx students living in low-income communities. We are determined to keep that gap from growing further.

To date, we have organized book and resource distributions with almost 3500 backpacks (with school supplies and PPE for children) and almost 8000 age-appropriate books for children in grades Prek-12 in under-resourced communities of Los Angeles. Additionally, we provide family-centered literacy strategies and curate thematic book lists to support literacy development at home via our social media platforms. 

Your donations will help us continue to provide access to books for more children. By donating, you will be providing access to stories and support language development for children and families in need of books at home. Any little bit counts; for every $6 donated, we can fill a backpack with a minimum of two age-appropriate books and essential school supplies, such as pencils, notebooks, pens, or crayons. We profoundly appreciate any help you can provide!