About Books for Kids
The mission of the Books for Kids Foundation is to promote literacy among all children with a special emphasis on low-income and at-risk preschool-aged children.
Books for Kids creates libraries, donates books, and partners with literacy programs to develop the critical early foundation and skills which young children need to be successful in life.
Studies show that emergent literacy in preschoolers must be supported by a print-rich environment. Books for Kids ensures that Department of Education-recommended books are available wherever children spend their day, by donating books and establishing libraries in those facilities. Books for Kids also strives to build book collections at home for each child to read and share with their family.
For more information visit www.booksforkids.org
MBF Supports Books for Kids
Announcements:
Story Time Updates
The Mario Batali Foundation and its many volunteers have been having a terrific time with the quarterly readings at our Dewitt Library. In December we held a Holiday Reading where we read If You Take a Mouse to the Movies each child received a copy of the book to take home AND Santa showed up and gave each child an additional wrapped present which was...you guessed it...another new book for their home collection.
In March we were back again this time reading the classic...Goodnight Moon. Every child received a copy for their home collection.
We are very proud to announce that to date the Mario Batali Foundation has put seven books into the homes of each child at Dewitt Reformed Church Head Start program. How cool is that?
July, 2011
MBF Library Birthday Book Club Announced
MBF in collaboration with Books For Kids has created the Birthday Book Club for its Dewitt Reformed Church Head Start Center Library in Lower Manhattan. The concept was so well received that BFKs is planning on rolling out the Birthday Book Club program to other BFK libraries around the country!
The MBF Birthday Book Club celebrates the birthday of each at-risk child who attends the Dewitt Reformed Church Head Start Center and also helps to grow the existing collection of books in the library. The Club works by giving each child a brand new beautiful classic children's hard cover book to take home as well as dedicating a copy of that same book in that child's name to the library on his or her birthday. The Birthday Book Club allows MBF and BFK to not only insure that each child gets to add a book to their usually sparse home collection, but also to add a new library quality book to the Center's library.
May, 2011
MBF Library Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
View Ribbon Cutting Video
A special thank you MBF received from a Dewitt Reformed Church parent:
"I live in Queens NY and this email is regarding the beautiful Library that
Mr. Mario Batali donate today in Dewitt Head Start. I just want to say
thank you and is really nice from him. I personally didn't know about the
foundation but I think is something very positive...My son was so happy
today and that's one more reason to go to school."
December, 2010
MBF announces Books For Kids grant to create and furnish a MBF/BFK library within an existing children’s center (site to be announced). This will enable children who may not have access to a public library to discover the world of books. In addition to being a magical place where the children can learn, explore and dream, the library will house a beautiful collection of brand new library bound books. The library will also have an actual lending program to familiarize children with standard practices.
Each Books for Kids library is created with an age-appropriate collection which includes the core group of standard titles recommended by the Department of Education and early childhood literacy experts. Books are carefully selected to reflect the backgrounds and life experiences of the children in that community.
