Summer is here which means families are finally able to enjoy the outdoors after a long winter. As campfires burn out and kids get ready for bed, many parents will pull out a book and read a bedtime story. This is important because studies consistently show that reading at a young age drastically improves a child’s educational trajectory.

According to Minnesota Compass, the ability to read by the end of third grade often predicts future academic and life success. Fifty-seven percent of third graders in Minnesota are proficient in reading, and our 20-county region is only a fraction above the statewide average. At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) we know it is important to invest in early literacy efforts as a long-term strategy to support our communities and future workforce.

One way we support this effort is through our Literacy Grant Program. We recently distributed more than 18,000 books - English, Spanish and bilingual - to 41 organizations in our region through this grant. These organizations – libraries, schools, public health organizations, reading centers, and more – work with children birth to age five. The beauty of this program is that these organizations will distribute the books to children who will be able to take them home, hopefully encouraging a lifelong love of reading. Minnesota-based publishing companies, ABDO Publishing and Capstone, generously donate the majority of the books for this program. Over the years of partnering with these companies, we have been able to distribute more than one hundred thousand books throughout the region.