BOISE, Idaho — Idaho News 6 and the Scripps Howard Fund are encouraging the community to join a special effort to get kids excited about learning through reading.
Reading is vital to a good education, but too many children struggle with the skill.
“Really from kindergarten to second grade, kids are learning how to read and beyond that, they’re reading to learn,” said Amy Collinge, principal at Taft Elementary. "So if a student isn’t reading at grade level by third grade, then they’re missing learning time because they’re still working on learning to read."
Watch to see what your donation can mean for local kids:
The good news: reading proficiency by third grade has improved in Idaho, rising from 66% last year to 71% this year. That’s slightly higher than the national average but still too low.
Educators say children who have a book of their own feel a sense of ownership that helps in the classroom.
“We want kids—just like if I want to learn about something I can go pick out the type of book or text that I want to read to learn or access something. We want every single one of our kids to be able to have that same type of ownership and agency to pick out books,” Collinge said.
This Wednesday, Sept. 3, the Scripps Howard Fund will match donations up to $200,000 nationwide.
To donate — and give a child a book and a chance — text Idaho News 6 to 50155 or donate online.
