Haywood's love for books and its powers...

Equity & Access

Please take a moment to ponder this question: what was the first book that you owned that triggered your interest in reading? Was it the magical intrigue inherent in the Harry Potter series, which you or a loved one stood in line to buy on its first day of release (or electronically bought online weeks in advance as I did)? Was it the epic mystery explored through the adventures of the Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe and the rest of the tales of Narnia? For me, after much contemplation, I can trace my avid love of reading to the pillow-ridden floor of my first grade classroom.

Each Friday, my class and I would gather around my teacher and sit entranced as our young minds ingested the words flowing forth from her rendition of Junie B. Jones. Following Junie’s first days in kindergarten and riding that “stupid smelly bus;” being proud of her for finally! making it into the first grade; being right there by her side when she contemplated the ethicalness of cheating on homework; learning how to be a good big brother from her example of taking care of her own recently-born sibling. I loved that series!

Can you imagine my surprise when I found out that there were actually over a dozen books in the series! I came home excited, pleading with my parents to let me buy the rest of the series so that I could find out who was the secret admirer that gave Junie that elaborate Valentine’s Day card, and whether she would successfully pull off acting in her first play on “Broadway,” and what she would possibly find hiding under her bed! Education has always been a pillar in my family, and fortunately I had parents, grandparents, and an entire network of supportive aunts, uncles, cousins, and neighbors who encouraged my growing affinity for literature, as juvenile as it may have been at that time. Thus, slowly but surely my collection of Junie B. Jones’ books grew. And when I outgrew those books, I simply began to apply my newfound love of reading to the ever-growing collection that surely came to replace them on my bookshelf.

However, when comparing my own childhood with that of so many others, I have come to realize just how privileged and blessed that I was to have the opportunity to even be able to hold and own and read an appropriate children’s book.

There’s a deep chasm prevalent in our society—a gaping disconnect in our nation’s low income communities’ access to critical educational resources. A recent study shows that while in middle income neighborhoods the ratio of books per child is 13 to one (1), in low-income neighborhoods, the ratio is one (1) age-appropriate book for every 300 children. 80% of preschool and after-school programs serving low-income populations have no age-appropriate books for their children.

Imagine not being able to open a single book and call it your own. How many worlds would remain unexplored, ideas untested, histories forgotten, and cultures hidden far away? This is a fundamental issue of equity and access.

Despite these astounding figures, however, I write this blog entry with a sense of pride and hope. Over these past few weeks I have been afforded the opportunity to work with and learn from First Book, a groundbreaking education nonprofit that provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 65 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities.

In the upcoming weeks, I will be sharing more with you about how First Book’s business model is designed for maximum efficiency. Their non-programmatic costs total less than 3% of their revenue. As a result, every $1 donation to First Book results in $10 worth of new books directly into the hands of children in need. Every $2.50 donated provides a brand new book to a child in need. If an organization serves a population of which 50% are low-income, then they are granted access to the First Book Marketplace, where we provide over 1,200 book titles that generally cost between 50-90% off retail prices. Furthermore, if an organization qualifies for Title I status or serves a population of which 80% are low-income, we provide them access not only to our Marketplace, but also to our First Book National Book Bank, where the recipient group can receive up to three books, per child, free of charge.

In the past, I’ve enjoyed a variety of internships and work experiences in the public sector—none, however, quite match the deeply fulfilling nature inherent in working with this organization. And somehow, I feel that this experience is only the beginning. I look forward to taking you all along for the ride.

-Haywood