At Scholastic, our mission is to get books into the hands of children to spark their imaginations and help them “open a world of possible”. However, this mission would not be possible without the amazing organizations and people we work with every day.
Today, Scholastic and Taylor Swift are excited to announce a donation of 25,000 new, age-appropriate books from the Scholastic Possible Fund to 25 New York City schools in need of more books for their students.
Through this donation, the selected 25 New York City schools will each receive 1,000 new children’s books through the Scholastic Possible Fund as a result of Taylor’s support of the Company’s “Open a World of Possible,” initiative, designed to promote independent reading among all children.
This donation comes at a time when research has shown the importance of increasing access to books in schools. According to the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™ children ages 6–17 from lower-income households are more likely to read books for fun in school and far less likely to read books outside of school than their higher-income peers. Further, having a selection of texts for independent reading can be a powerful tool to encourage kids to pick up a book. The same report revealed that nine in ten kids agree their favorite books – and the ones they are the most likely to finish – are the ones they pick out themselves.
Prior to this donation, Taylor hosted a webcast for classrooms during which she shared how books, reading and writing have influenced her and opened her world. In 30 minute video, Taylor talks with students about the books that inspire her most, how journaling has helped her with songwriting, and how she rose above the bullying and negativity she faced growing up.
