Early LiteracyOut-of-school or Underperforming YouthLibraries/Access to Education Resources
2021-22
United States of America
Winder Georgia
6910
Project Impact
Description
The Rotary Club of Winder Georgia (United States) developed an integrated project they entitled the Barrow Book Partnership. This is a consortium composed of local service providers in Barrow County including the public school system, the local libraries, the health department, the department of adult literacy, the department of family literacy, pediatric physicians, etc. They involved any agency who worked with these families. Their goal was to improve early literacy skills and children’s social and cognitive development through educating parents about their significant role as their child’s first teacher. Their ultimate goal was a future in which children in the Barrow community enter Kindergarten cognitively and physically ready to learn and succeed.
The project provided free age-appropriate books to children so that they could develop their home library, while simultaneously educating the parents about the wealth of free early literacy resources offered the local public libraries. This was a very detailed and integrated community project that the Rotary Club led. Their partnership was even recognized by Penguin Random House as an innovative project and it was included in an early literacy outreach study through Kent State University.
The Books of Change project aimed to provide a box of STEM books to 50 schools in their rural and often disadvantaged district. The whole club adopted and worked on this project. The books sent to each school were culturally appropriate and scientifically appropriate to the needs of the students. The books will now be available for students in these schools for years to come. Rotarians are confident that there will be future STEM professionals as a result of this relevant education initiative.