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• 1 2016-11-30T09:31:44-08:00 Chapter One: Founding of the Kids' Book Bank 25 plain 2016-12-08T20:47:03-08:00
  Two retired professionals, Judy Payne and Judi Kovach, founded The Cleveland Kids' Book Bank on February 1, 2016. Upon hearing that two-thirds of low income families don’t own a single children’s book, the duo knew they had to work to combat the issue. In spite of its small size and young age, Kids' Book Bank has already greatly contributed to the Cleveland area. The organization collects books that would otherwise head to the shredder or the landfill by major book companies, and then distributes them to underprivileged children throughout Cleveland. Within the first seven months of operation, it successfully distributed 243,222 children’s books, and that number continues to grow. At their Midtown Cleveland headquarters, volunteers sort the books, which are then ready for dispersal throughout the Cleveland area.
   

  The Kids' Book Bank distributes books in a multitude of ways:

  • Agencies that teach parents to read with children
  • Little Free Libraries
  • Preschool, afterschool, and tutoring programs
  • Daycare providers
  • Pediatricians, schools, libraries, food pantries, and recreation centers
  • Teens from Boys and Girls Club and urban high schools can come and sort through books to find some to take home
   

  By using such a variety of distribution methods, the organization reaches more children during each delivery, which contributes to the already visible success of the group. The Kids' Book Bank shows promising growth. In its first eight months of operation, it has already hugely impacted the city. Hard work and ambition are core values within the organization that will help them achieve the Kids' Book Bank next goal, which co-founder Judi Kovach says is, “to make sure in 2017 that every low-income child throughout the county gets four quality books from us.”

   

  The Kids' Book Bank also works to ensure children will flourish after receiving their books. Not only does the organization drop off books at the children’s homes, but provides training for parents on how to effectively read with their kids. It is extremely important to work with the parents as well, because their reading skills have a big influence on the child’s future academic success. Unfortunately, 66% of Cleveland adults are considered functionally illiterate(Seeds off Literacy). Considering, just dropping off books would not be enough for children to reach their full potential. The Kids' Book Bank takes the initiative to go one step further, and to better aid youth to strengthen their pathway to success.