JetBlue Airways has launched a National #BookBattle in partnership with Random House Children's Books for its fifth annual Soar With Reading Program to combat the lack of books in low-income areas. A pilot project of this initiative sees the placement of free age-appropriate book vending machines in the Southeast of Washington D.C., selected after a study concluded that the Anacostia section of D.C. is a "book desert" where residents have little access to children's books.
Childhood literacy expert, Susan Neuman, claims that there is a huge disparity in access to books nationally. In the Anacostia neighborhood, there is access to only one age-appropriate book per 830 children. President Obama recently launched an initiative to get major publishers to provide free e-books to low-income students as part of his ConnecEd program.
Five cities – Detroit, Houston, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles and New York City -- are competing through online public voting in the #BookBattle for a chance for one of their communities to receive 100,000 new children's books. Since 2011, the Soar with Reading program has donated more than $1,250,000 worth of books to children in need.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Free Book Vending Machines
- Opportunity for other companies and organizations to launch free book vending machines in low-income areas to promote childhood literacy.
- Book Deserts
- Identification of book deserts in other cities and neighborhoods, leading to efforts to increase access to free or low-cost age-appropriate books for children.
- Digital Initiatives for Childhood Literacy
- Exploration of digital platforms and partnerships with publishers to provide free e-books to low-income students, further supporting childhood literacy initiatives.
Sectors Adopting This
- Education
- Collaboration between education institutions, publishers, and community organizations to address book deserts and promote childhood literacy.
- Transportation
- Opportunity for transportation companies to implement community-focused initiatives like free book vending machines to support childhood literacy and engage with local communities.
- Publishing
- Partnerships with airlines, transportation companies, and educational organizations to provide free or discounted books, both physical and digital, to low-income children.
