BILLINGS— The “If You Give a Child a Book…” campaign has been helping bring books to children at Ponderosa Elementary School in Billings, which saw a 3% increase in literacy this past year.
The Scripps Howard Fund started the campaign, which brought 2,740 books to the students at the school between January and May.
Watch to see how the school is increasing its literacy rate:
This meant each student could bring home and keep 10 books for free.
Related: 'Give a Child a Book' promotes literacy success for Ponderosa Elementary students
“There's a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of excitement. Parents are always very impressed that the kids get to bring these books home,” said the school’s principal, Allison Evertz.
A paraprofessional at the school, Crystal Willadsen, helps students stay on track with their education. She is also the mother of third-grade student, Eli Peterson.
She prioritizes reading education for the children she teaches, whether it is the students at the school, or her son.
“What can I do at home? What can I do here? And a lot of times the answer is read. Just read with him, whether it's you reading to him, having him practice at home, but constantly be reading at home,” Willadsen said.
Not all students have access to books at home. According to Evertz, some students do not touch a book until they enter school.
“Students come with varying degrees of readiness for school. Some are reading. Some don't even recognize letters in the alphabet,” the principal said.
“There are others who have not seen a book,” she added.
According to the National Literacy Institute, 21% of adults in the United States in 2024 were illiterate.
This is a statistic the school is fighting while the kids are young, through encouraging at-home reading.
“When parents are reading at home with their students, it makes a world of difference,” Evertz said.
The campaign is raising money to provide students with books this school year. People can make donations to the campaign here.
