Empowering Communities Through Literacy
We aim to provide parents and families with tangible resources to bridge the literacy gap that we see in our communities. We understand that the number one educator in our children's lives is family. Because of this, we believe in fostering parental involvement in organic reading practices in order to increase children's onset literacy skills before the school-age years and through their academic trajectory.
Post-COVID-19, we realized how the pandemic's inequities were harming children's education in a multitude of ways. Before the pandemic, the ratio of age-appropriate books was 1 for every 13 children in middle-income communities. In low-income communities, the ratio of age-appropriate books was 1 for every 300 children. We set out on a mission to keep that gap from growing. We've focused our efforts on getting engaging age-appropriate books in the hands of children.
Since May 2020, we have:
Collaborated with community organizations on distribution events in high-needs Los Angeles communities (Hawthorne, Leimert Park, Pico/Union, and Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw, Long Beach, East Los Angeles, Crenshaw/Hyde Park, Loz Feliz). Additionally, donating books and school supplies for special events in high-needs schools in Los Angeles.
Donated approximately 4000 backpacks with books and school supplies (notebooks, pencils, crayons, pens, and PPE.) to children in grades PreK-12th.
Distributed over 15,000(new or like-new) books to children in under-resourced communities, grades PreK- 12th in English and Spanish.
Throughout the pandemic, we have worked with food banks, essential product companies, and Los Angeles-based nonprofits to provide over 1500 families with nonperishable food items, fresh produce, diapers, clothing, shoes, and physical and social-emotional workshops.
Upcoming Events
Past Events
Click here for our recommended book lists to Decolonize and Diversify your Bookshelf!
Check out our family-focused literacy strategies,“Lit Tips,” to try at home.
This has been a tough year for our little ones, with so much change and disruption to their lives. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and a great reminder to start talking to our children about the state of their mental health (especially the little ones who are learning to manage feelings and situations out of their control). As a society, we are learning to normalize speaking about our own mental health and seek support from friends, family, and professionals. Below is a list of children and YA books about anxiety, depression, OCD, grief, ADHD, and managing emotions to help us begin these critical conversations with our little ones.