Last year, Next Door gave 70,000 books away to Milwaukee school children through their Books For Kids program. Their library is open to the community every Thursday from 2 to 6pm. Teachers, day care providers, parents and families are welcome to select books to take home or distribute to their children to read and enjoy.
"We know there are many children in the city of Milwaukee that don't have books at home," says Pam Edyburn, Books For Kids coordinator at Next Door. "Our mission is to get books into those children's homes." Edyburn says that the number of books in the home is a direct correlation to academic success.
They work hard to make sure that the library is stocked enough to meet Milwaukee's demand for books. This time of year, the library at Books For Kids is in need of donations. They accept infant/toddler books all the way through High School reading materials. The demand is especially high for books from a 2nd grade reading level on down to picture books. Have a donation you would like to drop off at Next Door? Information is found here.
Click the story above to learn more about the " Read With Me" program and hear how 5th graders from Brown Deer Elementary School are helping kids at Next Door build up their personal libraries at home, one book at a time.
