“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Suess.
Reading is a habit that starts at home, and research shows that children with access to age-appropriate books improve their overall literacy, which strongly predicts later academic success and lifelong achievement.
To ensure that all children in the Tyrone Area School District have age-appropriate books at home, the Tyrone Area FFA is sponsoring a community service project to collect 1,500 children’s books by the end of February.
Tyrone freshman FFA member Abigayle Lucas is the chair of the FFA Book Drive Committee.
“We hope to send two books home with every child in pre-K through fourth grade. We want to do this so youth who don’t have books at home can expand their imagination throughout the summer and find a passion for reading,” Lucas said. “We believe children who receive books will have a sense of pride and ownership while creating good habits to set them up for academic and cognitive success.”
Donations will be accepted until February 29.
“We have roughly 500 books collected right now, so if we are going to make our goal of 1,500 we will need the help of the students and the community,” Lucas said.
Tyrone FFA members are sorting through the donated books as they come in and organizing them by reading levels pre-K through middle school.
In May, the committee hopes to present every student in the Tyrone Area Elementary School in grades pre-K through fourth grade with at least one age-appropriate book.
How to Find Age-Appropriate Books
Knowing what books are right for each age group is probably the most challenging thing to consider when choosing books to donate. For help choosing age-appropriate books, check out these online resources:
8 Tips for Choosing Books for Kids
How to Choose Just-Right Books for Your Child
Common Sense Media Book Reviews for Kids
Where to Donate Books
New or gently used books can be dropped off at the Grace Baptist Church in Tyrone, St. Matthew Catholic Church of Tyrone, the Tyrone Area High School main office, or the Tyrone Area Ag/FFA classroom.
Those interested in donating can also check out the Tyrone Area FFA Facebook page for additional drop-off locations.
For questions or more information, contact Tiffany Hoy, FFA advisor at [email protected] or by calling 814-684-4240 ext. 3131.
