SALT LAKE CITY — A local literacy program and a new book donation drive are both helping Utah children to develop a life-long love of reading.
"The way we think, the way we comprehend, the way we vocalize and express ourselves. It is so important for kids to be reading," said Laura Madsen, Program Manager of Road to Success.
Road to Success encourages children to read 100 minutes each week, rewarding them with badges and prizes. The biggest reward comes when a child learns to love reading.
But not every child has access to books, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has limited children's access to schools and libraries.
61 percent of low-income families have zero books at home, and children who can't read at grade level by third grade are four times less likely to graduate from high school.
FOX 13 and its parent company, E.W. Scripps, has launched the "If You Give a Child a Book..." childhood literacy program to make sure books are available to the kids who need them most.
Click here to make a donation and click here to read more about the campaign.
