ST. PETERSBURG, Florida. – A school bus loaded with books drives through the Bay Area, delivering thousands of publications to children.
The buses are part of the Summer Book Bus, a partnership between Pinellas County Schools and the Juvenile Welfare Board. The goal is to encourage summer reading by donating thousands of books.
“Just over half of our kids are reading at the grade level in third grade, and that number really needs to change,” Hintz said.
Over three weeks, the buses will visit 70 sites, serve 5,000 children and distribute more than 10,000 books. Sites vary from libraries and daycares to schools and community centers.
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“If you start early enough, and we start with very young children and make them want to be read or read, then that becomes part of who they are and what they do every day,” said declared Juvenile Welfare Board. Juvenile Welfare Board Community Collaborations Manager Danielle Hintz.
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The new books also help combat what teachers call “summer learning loss.”
“Some people don’t have books at home, or maybe can go to the library to borrow books, but being able to choose a brand new book to take home and start building their own library is just wonderful, “, said Hintz.
LINK: Click here for more information and to see where the Summer Book Bus timetable is.
