Read Fort Worth started three years ago with the help of a community that saw a need.
"Read Fort Worth is a call to action from the Mayor of Fort Worth and the superintendent because they understood the importance of third grade reading as a key academic indicator," said Elizabeth Brands, Executive Director of Read Fort Worth.
Read Fort Worth is a coalition of community leaders, businesses and volunteers who have come together for one common goal. They want to ensure that 100 % of Fort Worth third graders are proficient readers by 2025.
This summer, Read Fort Worth made a big donation towards young student success.
"Read Fort Worth got together and raised the money to distribute 130,000 books to every single elementary school, 84 of them, in Fort Worth," Brands said.
That donation ensured every pre-kindergarten through second-grade teacher would have 50 to 100 new books for their individual classroom libraries.
"We also know that the books are not the only thing that is a factor in kids having reading success. It’s the work of Principal Gonzalez and all the dedicated and mission driven teachers at Bonnie Brae Elementary School," Brands said.
NBC 5’s Laura Harris stopped by one of the classrooms benefiting from the donation at Bonnie Brae Elementary School. We didn't just to talk to the children about their love for reading and the importance of the skill. It was an opportunity to give brand new books to some second-grade students at the school.
That donation all part of the NBC 5/Telemundo39 joint initiative, Reading With You. Reading With You started as a 9-week summer program to help prevent summer slide in students during the months where they are not in class.
