First 5 California Teams Up with First Book to Distribute Thousands of New Books to Young Children in Need
First 5 California volunteers host reading party for local elementary school students
February 26, 2015 /3BL Media/ - To further its mission to support the early childhood development of California’s young children, First 5 California is distributing 7,000 brand-new books to children between the ages of 0 and 5 to enhance reading programs and advance youth literacy in Sacramento, Oakland, and Los Angeles.
Financial support was made possible through First 5 California’s participation in CBS EcoMedia’s EducationAd program, which directed funding to the nonprofit social enterprise, First Book. This unique public-private partnership will support the expansion of First Book’s literacy programs at the East Bay Children’s Book Project in Oakland, the Panamerican Lodge Public School in Los Angeles, and the SCUSD Connect Center in Sacramento. First 5 California’s support will impact an estimated 570 young students and 23 teachers.
First Book provides new books and educational resources to educational programs serving children from low-income families. By working with a network of over 160,000 community-based schools and programs, First Book helps elevate the quality of education for kids in need. With help from local partners like First 5 California, First Book hopes to reach every one of the nearly 30 million kids that live in low-income households in the United States.
“Books pave the path to a child’s success, in school and in life,” said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. “By putting these critical educational resources in to the hands of local kids in need, First 5 California and CBS EcoMedia are improving lives today and investing in the future of their community.”
First 5 California volunteers hosted a reading party today at Ethel Phillips Elementary School in Sacramento, CA. Hosts included First 5 California Chief Deputy Director Diane Levin, a credentialed teacher who did her graduate work in reading instruction.
“Too many American children go without books,” said Paul Polizzotto, president and founder, CBS EcoMedia. “First 5 California is addressing this issue by putting thousands of new books into the hands of local kids who need them most. This unique public-private partnership will inspire these young students to become lifelong readers and lifelong learners.”
About First 5 California
First 5 California, also known as the California Children and Families Commission, was established after voters passed Proposition 10 in November 1998, which added a tax on tobacco products to fund education, health, childcare, and other services for children ages 0 to 5 and their families. Its programs and resources are designed to educate teachers, parents, grandparents, and caregivers about the critical role they play during a child’s first five years – with the overarching goal of helping more California kids grow up healthy and ready to succeed in school and in life. For more information, please visit www.first5california.com/parents.
About First Book
First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise that has distributed more than 125 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada. By making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education. For more information, please visit First Book online or follow the organization’s latest news on Facebook and Twitter.
About CBS EcoMedia Inc.
At EcoMedia, we’re propelled by the desire to create positive social change; that’s been our mission since we founded the company in 2002. In 2010, after successfully partnering with CBS on a wide range of environmental projects, EcoMedia became the newest addition to the CBS Corporation portfolio, exponentially scaling our reach across television, radio, interactive, publishing and outdoor media.
Through our patent-pending EcoAd, WellnessAd, and EducationAd programs, an innovative twist on traditional advertising, advertisers are able to support much-needed local projects which in turn creates jobs, saves taxpayer money, and improves the quality of life in communities nationwide. In the process, we’re fundamentally altering the advertising landscape, elevating the ordinary, traditional commercial – and media, in general – into a catalyst for tangible, quantifiable social change. Please visit ecomediacbs.com, like us at facebook.com/EcoMediaCBS, or follow us at Twitter.com/EcoMediaCBS.
By participating in EcoMedia’s EcoAd, WellnessAd, and EducationAd advertising programs, EcoMedia’s advertisers agree to provide funding for projects we believe will have a beneficial effect upon the environment, health, and/or education within local communities. EcoMedia’s advertising programs are not certification programs nor are the EcoAd, WellnessAd, or EducationAd logos seals of approval. EcoMedia does not in any way certify, endorse, or make any representations about EcoMedia program advertisers, their products, or services.
