Bless Me With A Book

     There is a significant and cyclical literacy crisis facing America today and it begins with our children. Twenty-five million children in the U.S. cannot read proficiently. The ProjectMADE7 Foundation believes that together we can make a real difference and set our children on a path of growth and opportunity. Our Bless Me With A Book program was created as a continuum for early childhood literacy. Providing books to children of all ages, the program reaches families who have had the advantages of reading to their babies and those who have not.  We give free books, literacy resources and workshops to parents, families, child-care providers, reading groups, library programs, and other nonprofits.

Here are some stats on literacy:

34% of children entering kindergarten lack the basic skills needed to learn how to read.
65% of 4th graders read below grade level, contributing to 8K students dropping out of high school everyday.
37% of students graduate high school at or above reading proficiency.

     The program gives new books but principally gently used books, which come to us through donations and book drives. Also, it accepts requests for books made within Ohio, not out of state. Requests should be are made online, through this website, whenever possible.  While Bless Me With A Book serves the entire state, the program has a special initiative in Summit County.

    Parents are their babies’ first teachers. We help parents realize the important — and fun — role they play in developing their infants’ language skills, starting from birth. This Ohio program gives parents basic tools to start: baby board books, how-to guides and other resources.

     Also, Bless Me With A Book provides books and childhood literacy information to clinics in Akron and Barberton. These clinics serve low-income pregnant women in prenatal care and low-income families with 2-month-old infants in well-baby checkups.  Our program requires the parent to interact and engage with thier children by reading to them. Therefore, we cover from the ages of newborn up to the freshman year of High School.