Students in kindergarten through third grade at nine low-income New York City schools will receive more than 24,000 books they can take home, as part of a pilot literacy project launched Tuesday by the United Federation of Teachers, the New York City Department of Education, First Book, the American Federation of Teachers and the New York Community Trust.

The goal is to increase reading skills by providing books to low-income and non-English-speaking children, and then provide resources and training to teachers and families to support the use of those books in the classroom and at home.

The roughly 4,000 K–3 students are each to receive six books for the start of a home library, while an additional 3,200 books will be added to K–3 classroom libraries at the targeted elementary schools.

K–3 teachers, teachers’ aides and parents at the nine schools will work and train together over the course of the year to select the books and then create ways to incorporate the selected books into school and home life.

The United Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers will work with the UFT Teacher Center to help create the training sessions, and will lead the parent-outreach campaigns at each school. 

"We know children are more successful when we have that home-school connection. Access to books, at home and at school, is the first step," said Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers. "Now, with this effort, we will create the link between what is read and discussed in the classroom with what kids read and talk about at home."

If successful, the pilot project would be expanded to include high-needs students in all five boroughs.

"Reading opens our young students’ minds to new ideas and worlds, and that is why I am so delighted to kick-off this program connecting students and their families to fun and enriching books," said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. "Not only is reading a joyful and engaging activity for our youngest students, but it also gives them the foundation to achieve in middle school, high school, and beyond. Parents are our partners in this project, and I look forward to working with them to get our children excited about reading and their education."

The first training sessions for teachers and teachers’ aides will be held Nov. 4 — Election Day — a traditional time for professional development. The new UFT contract, which sets aside time each week for parent-teacher collaboration, will be used for this pilot program at the nine schools.

"This partnership is about reading, it brings resources, books and supports to strengthen the link between these nine schools and children's homes," said Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers. "These schools and classrooms will receive free books and support in improving children's reading skills. Parents will get resources and supports to reinforce those skills and build interest in reading outside of school.  Our hope is that the success of this collaborative partnership and the resulting programs will allow us to expand this initiative to every school in New York City."

First Book, a non-profit that has provided more than 120 million books to low-income children since 1992, will provide the books, and is partnering with a research firm, MetaMetrics, to track results.

"First Book is thrilled to be a part of this unprecedented partnership to increase access to books and reading opportunities across New York City," said Kyle Zimmer, the president and CEO of First Book. "Of course we’re focused on literacy and reading. But just as critically, we’re also working to close the larger achievement gap separating kids from low-income families from their more affluent peers. The educators we’re working with across New York are incredible, and I can’t wait until these books begin to be read and re-read in homes and classrooms across the city."

The New York Community Trust, which funds grants with the potential to create widespread, systemic improvement in reading skills, awarded a $180,000 grant for the literacy project’s planning first year. More information about the New York Community Trust is available at http://www.nycommunitytrust.org/

The schools selected for the pilot project are: PS 158, PS 156 and PS 190 in Brooklyn; PS 65 in Queens; PS 78 in Staten Island; PS 18, PS 28, PS 115, and P 811 in Manhattan.