Community Partner: Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy

Making a Difference in the Lives of Children

The Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy (FFCL) has a mission to provide books for local communities to prepare preschool children for reading and learning success.

FFCL was founded in 1999 to address the growing problem of children from low-income communities entering kindergarten without basic early literacy skills and school readiness. The recipe for early school success is simple: start school with strong literacy skills. FFCLs recipe for encouraging early literacy development is even simpler: ensure that children have age-appropriate books at home, and that their parents have the support that reinforces the importance of early learning and encourages them to read frequently with their children.

Children registered for the Ferst Foundation literacy program receive a developmentally-appropriate book mailed to them at home every month until their fifth birthday. FFCLs vision is to afford the best chance to every child to succeed in school and in life, and to help create an educated, productive and competitive work force.

Why is the program important?

61% of low-income families do not have a single book suitable for a child. (Reading Literacy in the United States, 1996)
The single most significant factor influencing a childs early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school. (National Commission on Reading)
Children who have not already developed some basic literacy practices when they enter school are three-to-four times more likely to drop out in later years. (National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 1993)
The only behavior measure that correlates significantly with reading scores is the number of books in the home.
Children in welfare homes hear 32 million fewer words from birth to age four than children who live in professional homes. (Annie E. Casey Foundation)

Donors to the FFCL have a lasting, positive effect on childrens lives. Reading as a child in those first few years of life is directly tied to performance in school and in life. For example, children not reading on grade level by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school. High school drop outs are more likely to become teen parents, have poor health, be unemployed or end up in jail. 85% of all juvenile offenders are functionally illiterate.

However, there is hope in the form of the FFCL and its supporters. In Cherokee County, a total of 16,524 books have been mailed since the program began in 2010. Over 600 children have graduated and subsequently entered school better prepared to learn. Currently, 264 children receive books every month, but an estimated 4500 low-income children in Cherokee County remain at-risk for entering school unprepared.

Ferst Foundation mails quality books from its Read to Me Library. The program costs $36 per child/year. To learn more about how you can support childhood literacy in Cherokee County, enroll a child for free books or adopt a reader, visit FerstFoundation.org.