“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
― Frederick Douglass
These words are still powerful today. Frederick Douglass showed the value and importance of receiving an education. Knowledge has massive transformative power in our lives, and for knowledge to grow, children need literacy.
By 3 years of age, there are 30 million fewer words heard between children from the wealthiest and poorest families, and a recent study shows that this vocabulary gap is evident in toddlers. The trend continues as they get older, as only 10% of African American and 15% of Hispanic children in 4th-grade test proficient in reading (Fernald, Marchman, & Weisleder, 2013). When we see these statistics playing out in our neighborhood, we knew something had to be done.
That’s where our Literacy Lab (Lit Lab) comes in! The Lit Lab features books written by black and brown authors that give representation to the unique features of being a black or brown individual. These kids will read many books in their lifetime, but less than 12% of children’s books feature a black main character. (CCBC, 2019) For a black child, that representation is important.
Through the tremendous help of the Community Engagement and Opportunity Council (CEOC), our Lit Lab has all new carpet, shelves, and a little clubhouse! On top of that, they funded iPads to host the Lexia reading app for the children. We’re incredibly thankful to the CEOC for their generosity and support!
BridgeBuilder’s desire is to see every child in Bonton receive the same learning opportunities as they would elsewhere. The program will serve kids aged 3 to 5th grade, and kids will get time with volunteer Reading Buddies to read with them and help them learn. With the Lit Lab, our hope is to provide a safe and fun space for the kids to discover the adventure of reading, and for that to bolster the future opportunities of these children.
NBC5 ran a feature on CEOC and the Literacy Lab, which you can watch here!
If you want to be a part of this continuing work, please contact us at connect@bridgebuilders.org to learn more!
