Thousands of children living in poverty in Massachusetts are starting 2014 with a gift of books, a gift that promises to keep on giving throughout their lifetimes! Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), a Boston-based global education leader, donated more than 40,000 books to Cradles to Crayons – Boston.
“So many families living in poverty in our area struggle to afford to provide shelter and food for their families,” said Sharon Reilly, Executive Director, Cradles to Crayons – Boston. “Add to that the critical need to provide warm clothing at this time of the year, and there simply is no money remaining to purchase books. We can’t ignore the very sad fact that children from low-income families will start the first grade up to two years behind their peers from moderate- to upper-income households.”
Reading Is Fundamental, the nation’s largest children’s literacy nonprofit, reports that two-thirds of America’s children living in poverty have no books at home. Children who do not have access to books and do not read regularly are at risk of failing to achieve basic levels of reading proficiency. Children who are solid readers perform better in school, have a healthy self-image, and become lifelong learners, adding to their viability in a competitive world.
“This donation,” Reilly continued, “is especially welcome as it provides substantial quantities of infant board books and books for 9-12 year-olds, groups for which demand always far exceeds our supply!”
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ:HMHC) is a global learning company with the mission of changing people’s lives by fostering passionate, curious learners. Among the world’s largest providers of pre-K–12 education solutions and one of its longest-established publishing houses, HMH combines cutting-edge research, editorial excellence and technological innovation to improve teaching and learning environments and solve complex literacy and education challenges. HMH’s interactive, results-driven education solutions are utilized by 50 million students in over 150 countries, and its renowned and awarded novels, non-fiction, children’s books and reference works are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. In late 2010, HMH announced plans to donate three million books per year to countries throughout the world. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com.