Friends of Literacy enters school year with new programs to bolster childhood literacy

Childhood literacy is a challenge across East Tennessee.

In Knox County, only 38.6% of third graders are reading on grade-level, and only 17.6% of students from low-income households are proficient, according to the Tennessee Department of Education.

A new retention policy has gone into effect to address this issue across Tennessee. The new law requires third-grade students to attend summer programs and tutoring to improve their reading proficiency. Otherwise, they'll have to repeat the grade.

Nonprofit Friends of Literacy is helping to improve reading proficiency across East Tennessee with new programs to give children better access to books and bring those literacy numbers up.

The organization serves several counties, including Knox and Anderson.

One of its newest literacy programs began because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have Literacy To Go packs that we distribute to low-income students at Head Start or Title 1 preschools or elementary schools there for pre-K through second grade," executive director Teresa Brittain told Knox News.

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Literacy To Go packs come in a branded clear bag and contain a children's book, a parent tip sheet and arts and crafts related to the book. The packs are meant to further engage kids and their parents with reading.

"Our goal was to incorporate STEAM activities. So science, tech, engineering, art and math, and literacy since we're a literacy organization, and then movement," program director Kristen Yarnell said.

Incentivizing reading

The organization started in 1991as a fundraising initiative for adult education in Knox County and surrounding areas. The organization has shifted goals over the years, now focusing on family-oriented literacy programs.

The Literacy To Go packs have become a favorite among teachers, who have asked Friends of Literacy for even more packs and packs for older grades.

Friends of Literacy recently partnered with Oak Ridge and the Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) to provide new books for students. ADFAC gives new backpacks and supplies to three low-income schools in Anderson, Morgan and Roane Counties.

"They were actually doing ... school supply backpacks for every kid at those three schools, and we donated brand new books for them to put in the backpack," Brittain said. "So every kid will get a backpack with school supplies and a brand new age-appropriate book."

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The nonprofit is joining the national Raising a Reader program this year. The program works by giving enrolled students a red book bag every Thursday filled with about five books. The students will take the bag home, read the books and then bring it back on Tuesday. The books are then rotated and the child will receive five new books that Thursday.

In Knoxville, Friends of Literacy is launching the Raising a Reader program Sept. 8 at Fair Gardens Community Center preschool. The students will go through the program for the school year until they "graduate" at the end and receive a blue book bag with five to 10 new books to keep.

Distributing books for everyone

By starting these programs, Friends of Literacy hopes to expand how many students it reaches and books it distributes.

"We'll give 6,500 books, and that'll be a combination of new and gently used. And then 5,000 Literacy To Go packs, so just Literacy To Go would be like 4,800 students," Brittain said.

Brittain said the organization's tutoring program will help about 100 kids and 75 adults. This coincides with the work the organization is doing in local schools and libraries in Knox County.

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Friends of Literacy operates on fundraising and donations of both books and money. With the right funding, Brittain and her team dream of turning a bus into a mobile library.

"Our idea is we're not checking out books, we are giving kids books," Brittain said.

This would work by driving to neighborhoods and schools and letting kids pick out a new book to keep from inside. Without funding, it's a dream.

Friends of Literacy has fundraising events planned for the rest of the year. The Books, Barbeque and Blues event will be held Sept. 23 at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens. The event features food, music and a silent auction. The nonprofit will give the 2022 Champion of Literacy award at the event.

It also will host a winter Raising a Reader event with story time and hot chocolate. In May 2023, it will host the Books and Bikes event with Kickstand Community Bike Shop.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Friends of Literacy brings new programs to Knoxville, Oak Ridge