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Amazon donates more than 3,500 books to Baltimore City Schools

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Posted at 6:55 PM, May 03, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-03 18:55:22-04

BALTIMORE — Amazon is donating more than 3,500 books to Baltimore City Public Schools.

This week is Children’s Book Week.

On Tuesday, Amazon volunteers passed out books and read to students at Billie Holiday Elementary School in Baltimore.

To continue the celebration, download 16 free children’s eBooks and dozens of free tips and activities here.

Children’s literacy facts:

  • According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress [nces.ed.gov], by the time they enter 4th grade, 80% of Black students are not reading at grade level, which can have a lifelong negative impact on children. 
  • Studies show that students who enter fourth grade reading below grade level are four times more likely to drop out of high school compared to those who enter reading at grade level. 
  • While low-literacy is a multifaceted problem, experts agree that there are two primary drivers of poor reading outcomes for low-income students: 
    • (1) lack of access to high quality educational resources mainly due to funding issues in high poverty schools, and 
    • (2) lack of access to books. 
  • According to Scholastic’s “Access to Books [teacher.scholastic.com]” report, there can be as few as one book per 300 children in low-income neighborhoods compared to 13 books per child in middle-income neighborhoods.