A Tallahassee public relations firm is collecting children's books for kids who'll be moving from kindergarten to first grade this fall. The effort is a project of the Radley marketing firm, owned by Jamie Van Pelt.
"We're very fortunate to be partnered with some Title One elementary schools to help send some kindergartners home with some books this summer that they can read and continue on their reading and learning journey so that there's no brain drain between kindergarten and first grade and they go to first grade ready to learn in the fall."
Van Pelt said the books will let kids without ready access to appropriate reading materials sharpen their literacy skills over the summer.
"The data is really compelling. The earlier we invest in early learning, the better off our whole community is going to be. These things pay dividends, not just for an educational journey, but they also impact things like the crime rate and poverty rate; those things that we grapple with each and every day and complain about, but don't do anything about."
Van Pelt will continue the book collection until school lets out the week of May 20th. The books will be delivered to the district's Title 1 schools before the children are dismissed for the summer.
To donate a book, contact: jamie@theradleyfirm.com
