Students at Eickenroht Elementary have long been encouraged to read as many books as possible, but soon a partnership with Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation will make it even easier for students to access books.
The Spring ISD school has been selected to participate in the My Home Library program, which is an initiative by the long-running literacy foundation aimed at providing children from low-income families with books. Through the My Home Library program, each student at Eickenroht will receive six brand new books, at no cost to them or the school.
Principal Shanna Swearingen notes that this is a huge step forward for Eickenroht students, and their families.
“I am so excited this opportunity has been awarded to our students here at Eickenroht,” Swearingen said. “Our students’ resources are limited, so any way we can partner with families to bring literacy to the home is welcome.”
With more than 650 students at the school, Eickenroht is set to receive nearly 4,000 books. Those books will be available at no cost to students, their families, the school, or Spring ISD.
The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation was founded in 2013 to carry forth Barbara Bush’s legacy of literacy and education. The Foundation aims to improve the quality of life for Houstonians of all ages through the power of literacy, and states that 61 percent of low-income families do not have any books in their home.
As officials with the Foundation point out, books go a long way in keeping students interested and engaged in their education, with studies showing that reading improves academic performance and writing skills. The school plans to use the new books to help fuel their annual Literacy Night later this spring, where students can experience reading stations by genre and grade level, STAAR stations, fun literacy games.
“I believe that books open doors to unknown worlds and opportunities,” Swearingen said. “What a fabulous gift to give each Eickenroht student, [with] six books that are appropriate to their needs to do just that.”