In 1986, the Books for Kids Foundation was created by a few individuals in New York City who recognized that poor children must surmount enormous disadvantages when entering school because they have not had access to books. What began as an informal project to collect and distribute 1,000 books to needy children for the holidays, quickly took on larger dimensions when 2,000 books were placed in the first year and 9,000 in the next. It became clear to the founders that an organization providing access to good books for poor children was very much in demand. The value of its impact on the individual and the community could not be denied.

Early literacy is a critical part of the foundation from which a child is nourished in mind and spirit, succeeds in school and becomes a vital member of family and society. The lack of the reading and writing skills necessary for academic success often creates long-term barriers to leading productive and rewarding lives, especially for at-risk children. Alarmingly, U.S. literacy rates are still unacceptably low.

• A recent study by the U.S. Department of Education found that 23 percent of the adult population in America does not possess the most basic level of reading ability.
• More than 40 million Americans can read some basic information, but cannot locate an intersection on a map or fully comprehend a newspaper article.
• Low literacy levels are closely linked to poverty, welfare, unemployment and crime.
• Over 1 million children drop out of school each year, costing the nation over $240 billion over their lifetimes in lost earnings, foregone tax revenues and expenditures for social service

Our Vision in Motion

The BOOKS FOR KIDS FOUNDATION is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting literacy among all the children with special emphasis on disadvantaged children and youth. Books for Kids donates books, creates libraries and participates in reading initiatives within community-based organizations social service agencies, schools and under-served institutions. Since its founding in 1986, Books for Kids has provided children with more than 5 million books with a retail value of $42.5 million, built 37 libraries and distributed reading materials through approximately 250 agencies in the New York Area and throughout the Untied States.