CLEVELAND — Hundreds of students are probably curling up with their new favorite books right now, and it’s thanks in large part to our News 5 viewers. Since 2016, News 5, the Scripps Howard Fund, and non-profit literacy organizations have worked to improve access to books. On Friday, News 5 Anchor Katie Ussin got to see the impact it’s having at the Stephanie Tubbs Jones School.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
Students in grades pre-K-8 get to pick out five free books twice a year. We team up with Scholastic Book Fair to make it happen, and the money is raised by News 5 staff, our viewers, and the Scripps Howard Fund. At Friday’s book fair, Katie spoke with 11-year-old Kayden Smith, who took home Dog Man as one of his free book selections.
“It makes me feel like I’m in the book,” he said. “Like I’m experiencing it with them.”
We know reading will help set a child up for success. That’s why News 5 has made it our goal to make sure kids like Kayden and every other child in Cleveland have access to books. Katie spoke with mother and Parent Ambassador Brittany McGlothin last year and followed up with her Friday.
“This is a blessing to be able to let the kids come and not just get one book, but five books, is an amazing thing, because those five books can be five different things that are going to take you to five different places if you just take the time to just open it up and read it, and what I like most about it is seeing the growth,” she said.
In the year since Katie last touched base with McGlothin, the mother says she’s seen significant growth among the students participating in these book fairs.
“They’re talking about the stories and the characters,” she said. “Switching books, saying they know another kid would like this one. And it’s a whole thing now they look forward to, they’re excited about.”
Katie also got to catch up with McGlothin’s daughter, Emerald, who is now in the fourth grade. Emerald pointed out that these days, diaries are back. They’re a hot item at the book fair, and Emerald’s mom thinks that’s contributing to the growth she’s seen.
“I love the fact that they want diaries because the reading is inspiring them to want to write,” McGlothin said. “That’s an even bigger plus because it’s connecting the dots.”
Dean of Engagement, Michael K. Jester, said these book fairs are building up kids’ at-home libraries, their vocabulary, and giving them a place to escape besides electronics.
“I think it’s more important because organizations like News 5 think about our scholars to say, ‘We want you to have books, we want you to be able to read and so we’re going to provide this for you,’” he said. “That’s amazing. That’s an opportunity that might now always come to our community and so we’re shaping minds, shaping lives.”
The book donations also inspired the school to start a program called DEAR, which stands for “Drop Everything And Read.” Students participate every Friday for 10 minutes. If you want to help us continue to build up these students and help them grow, you can donate to our If You Give A Child A Book campaign here.
