1. copyright 2005 >> H 1

2. copyright 2005 >> H 2 Mission First Book is a national nonprofit organization that gives children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. Since 1992, First Book has provided over 60 million books to children in need. overview

3. copyright 2005 >> H 3 Over 60% of low-income families have no books at home for their children. 1 Over 80% of childcare centers serving low-income children lack age-appropriate books. 2 In a number of studies, the only factor that correlated significantly with reading scores was the number of books in the home. 3 1 Department of Education, 1996 2 Susan B. Neuman, eds. “The Knowledge Gap: Implications for Early Education.” Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Volume 2, 2006 3 Jeff McQuillan, The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions, 1998 Children Need First Book

4. copyright 2005 >> H 4 Why First Book? First Book plays a critical role in improving the quality of early childhood and after-school programs nationwide. Brand new books are chosen by program leaders Books are incorporated into program lessons before being sent home Each child receives at least 6 FREE books over the course of a year

5. copyright 2005 >> H 5 First Book Works First Book is important to a child's decision to read more. First Book has a positive impact on the home learning environment. 72% of the children who receive books report that they like “to share reading experiences” with their families.

6. copyright 2005 >> H 6 Forbes Magazine named First Book one of Ten “ Gold Star ” Charities in their Annual Survey of 200 nonprofits. Charity Navigator has given First Book their top 4-Star Rating for three consecutive years and rated it at 97.2% for program efficiency. First Book’s National Report Card

7. copyright 2005 >> H 7 How First Book Distributes Books Advisory Boards Local advisory boards raise funds to provide book grants to local literacy programs First Book National Book Bank Publishers donate books to be distributed to eligible programs at sites across the United States First Book Marketplace Eligible programs can purchase cartons of books at deeply discounted prices overview

8. copyright 2005 >> H 8 How First Book Distributes Books Registered groups shop online Register at www.firstbook.org Recipient Groups apply for grants Available to NEW advisory boards $1.80/book Free Shipping Carton quantities FREE for pick-up $0.25/book shipping Donated Books $2.50/book Free Shipping Choice of Titles FREE Book Collections by Age Level AB can spend $500/year Recipient Groups are unlimited Up to 2,000 books/year for AB 3 books/child for Recipient Groups # of books depends on available funds 1,000 – 5,000 First Book Marketplace National Book Bank Book Grants Community Starter Books distributing books Based on the # of children in poverty In the community At least 80% low- income children Title I or Title I eligible schools At least 80% low- income children Title I or Title I eligible schools At least 50% low- income children Title I or Title I eligible schools

9. copyright 2005 >> H 9 How is First Book Funded? National Fundraising Cause-based marketing campaigns provide 80% of the national funding National Partners include: - Borders - Cheerios - Baskin Robbins Federal Grants Local Fundraising Special Events Partnerships with local businesses Grants Donations

10. copyright 2005 >> H 10 The First Book Advisory Board Network

11. copyright 2005 >> H 11 First Book - Greater Springfield Established in December 2008 3,000 Community Starter Books Local literacy programs that meet the following criteria may apply for a C.S. book grant: At least 80% of the children they serve must come from low-income families Be able to distribute at least 6 books per year to each child in their program

12. copyright 2005 >> H 12 Why Bring First Book to Our Community? 6,563 children live in poverty in Springfield Nearly 60% of the students in District 186 are from low-income families 21 schools in District 186 are eligible for Title 1 funding 11 elementary schools are at “High Risk” for not meeting State Reading Standards We can work together to close the book gap!

13. copyright 2005 >> H 13 First Book Can Help First Book supports the following goals of District 186: K-12 Mentoring Programs Extended Day/Afterschool Programs Title I Programs Parent Academies First Book enhances the quality of local after-school and early childhood programs First Book supports the goals of The Continuum of Learning

14. copyright 2005 >> H 14 How You Can Help  Marketing Committee  Fundraising Committee  Volunteer Committee  Outreach Committee  Application Committee  Secretary  Treasurer  Friend of First Book building a board

15. copyright 2005 >> H 15 First Book of Greater Springfield Noël Scott 217-414-6557 Heather Winkler 217-827-4833 firstbookgreaterspringfield@yahoo.com www.firstbook.org