With your help, NBC is impacting literacy!

Watch below and Learn more about our impact from MNPS EDUCATORS.

DR. RICKI GIBBS II

Principal, Warner Arts Magnet Elementary Schools

Dr. Nicole Glaze

Teacher, Metro Nashville Public Schools

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We have learned that with every $1000, we can purchase about 150 quality titles from picture books to chapter books. We have seen the excitement students show as they choose books: with characters who look like them, with topics they are interested in reading, and with the understanding that these books are theirs to keep.

WHAT PARENTS AND TEACHERS ARE SAYING...

Seeing impact.
“To have a diverse collection [of books] that they can see themselves in I think has made a huge difference in them… they want to read. To see them wanting to read is like, ‘Yes, we are making strides.’”
- MNPS Dean of Students

Building a culture of readership at home.
"[NBC is] building a family culture around books which helps us here."
- MNPS Teacher

Excited to read books they choose.
“For me as the parent, it has warmed my heart to see how my kid has responded [to NBC]. My youngest is not a reader. He is in 2nd grade. He would never pick up a book. Now he says, ‘Mommy, it’s Wednesday (NBC Day). I need a book!’”
- MNPS Parent


WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING...

Reading with family.
“I think the books are really good. Whenever I go home, me and my brothers read the [NBC] books. I sometimes read to my baby brothers so they can go to bed. They are 3 and 4 years old.”
- MNPS 4th grader

Reader identity.
“I read them a lot and they make my brain grow.”
- MNPS 2nd grader, from NBC Student Response Bookmark

Connecting with other readers outside of family.
“Reading the {reader-to-reader] notes makes me want to read the book.”
- MNPS 2nd grader

Excited to read.
“I think the books are really interesting…I feel like I’m in [the books], like actually doing the things."
- MNPS 4th grader


WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS...

On access to books.
"Without access to books, the persistent gap between children who have access and those who don’t will remain. Our students will not reach their full potential without books, regardless of the educational reforms schools implement."

On owning new books.
"When the only books children own are someone else’s discards and hand-me-downs, it can affect their self-esteem and their perception about books and reading."

Miller, D. Sharp, C. (2018). Game Changer! Book Access for All Kids. New York, NY: Scholastic.