The AFT and First Book are celebrating a major milestone in our 13 yearlong joint partnership – distributing more than 10 million free books to students, families and educators serving in Title I schools and programs; public employees and health care professionals serving communities in need across the country.
Since 2011, the AFT and First Book have worked together to bring books to those who need them the most and yet can least afford them. Through small book giveaways for classrooms all the way up to large family literacy festivals with 40,000+ books going to hundreds of families, educators and students – we are spreading the joy of reading and helping to create a better life for all.
To celebrate, the AFT is hosting five events across the country in New York City, Florida, Illinois, Ohio and Texas giving out a total of 150,000+ books, including culturally diverse titles, bilingual Spanish-English books, STEM and social emotional learning books.
Books
Distributed
The American Federation of Teachers' Reading Opens the World initiative focuses on:
- Giving teachers and school staff the tools and professional development that translate the science of reading into usable resources to help students read and read well.
- Giving parents and caregivers fun and research-based tips and tools to support literacy.
- Building on and forging new connections among families, communities, educators and schools to be partners in students’ literacy.
- Giving children and young people free books to read, love and keep, because …
Reading Opens the World!
AFT Voices
Thank you Tracy! And hope your students love their new books! #ReadingOpensTheWorld @AFTunion @nema @120Strong