GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — 13 ON YOUR SIDE and Independent Bank have come together to present the Kent District Library with funds that will improve community literacy.
The check presentation is part of a literacy initiative started by 13 OYS called 13 Reads. It's designed to create a community of readers and improve the literacy rate in West Michigan.
Education leaders say Michigan is in a "literary crisis," with the state's third grade students testing on the lower end of the 50 states nationally during the M-STEP or National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP).
On Friday, Jan. 31, KDL was presented with a $7,000 grant from the TEGNA Foundation at the Plainfield Branch that will go towards the "Mission: READ!" program.
Mission: READ! aims to improve literacy rates among children grades K-3 in Kent County. The money will be used to purchase "Booster Packs" for all the KDL branches.
Parents will be able to check out a booster pack that will help them address areas their child needs to the most help, like in vocabulary, phonics (letters), phonemic awareness (sounds), comprehension or fluency. These five skills are necessary of a fluent reader.
Inside each booster pack are books and games that are easy for parents and children to navigate and fun to work on.
13 ON YOUR SIDE will continue to champion for literacy in West Michigan through 13 Reads with the help of Independent Bank.
Find other 13 Reads projects, stories and information about how you can help get a book into the hands of a child in West Michigan by visiting 13reads.com. Learn more about Mission: READ! at www.missionread.org
13 Reads, KDL and Independent Bank
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