Reading Is FUNdamental Pittsburgh 2015- 2016 Annual Report 6/1/15 - 5/31/16 Dear Friends, I am delighted to share with you Reading is FUNdamental (RIF) Pittsburgh’s Annual Report! For over three decades, RIF Pittsburgh’s mission has been to provide children with the resources, motivation, and opportunities they need to develop a life-long love of reading. In the past year, we continued to add depth and breadth to our services by impacting the lives of more than 22,000 children and families. We put more than 103,000 books into the hands, hearts, and homes of the children and families who are most in need. Recently, we were thrilled to hear from one of these “RIF Kids”—our new friend, Damon! I received a voicemail from the tiniest, cutest voice ever, thanking us again and again for the “awesome” RIF book he’d chosen. I called Damon back, only to learn that he was a 1st grader at PPS Manchester, was just learning to use the telephone, and had called us all on his own. Later, I visited him at his school and brought a backpack full of his favorite stories. The happiness in Damon’s eyes when he saw the books was priceless! Damon and his aunt couldn’t wait to add them to his growing collection of RIF books at home. Continuous support from people just like you is helping to make all of this possible. The literacy gap that exists in the City of Pittsburgh, as evidenced by findings in the 2016 A+ Schools Report, is unacceptable. All children deserve the best chance at success in school and in life, and that’s why we at RIF Pittsburgh are working to ensure that kids, starting in their earliest years, have the resources and opportunities they need to learn to love to read. By providing books, programming, mentoring, and more, we have the opportunity to play a positive role in a child’s life story, and to impact him or her year after year. I hope you enjoy reading about our accomplishments. If you have any questions, (or, like Damon, just want to talk about books!) please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for joining in our mission to inspire a life-long love of reading in the children and families that we serve. Warmly, Florri Ladov Executive Director “They give out the most greatest books and make sure I read always.” Our mission is to provide children with the resources, motivation, and opportunities to develop a life-long love of reading. “My child loves the program. I am very proud of her excitement!” “They give you awesome - and I mean awesome - books.” EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BOARD of Directors In 2015, the NCES’ bi-annual “Reading Report” stated that 31% of all fourth Bryan Iams, President graders in the United States cannot read at even the basic level. The report went on to note that children from economically disadvantaged families Cary Blancett consistently perform significantly lower than other children in school, Tom Dowling especially in reading. Nicholas Galizia Matthew Harbaugh The situation here in Pittsburgh is no different. According to A+ Schools’ Pace Markowitz 2016 Report to the Community, a significant literacy gap exists for Mark Morrison economically disadvantaged students in Pittsburgh, placing thousands Jessica O’Brien of our city’s children at risk of academic failure. This report shows that Francis X. Solano Jr. MD nearly 60% of economically disadvantaged children in the Pittsburgh Public Schools’ elementary schools cannot read at grade level. Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) Pittsburgh addresses these critical needs in “[RIF] IS SO our community by offering consistent, high-quality, “pushed-in” literacy FULL OF FUN and educational programming for more than 22,000 economically disadvantaged children in Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities. IDEAS, COOL In the last year alone, we put more than 103,000 self-selected books ACTIVITIES, AND I into the hands of the children and families that need them the most! Our research-based programs work to bridge the local literacy and LOVE THE BOOKS achievement gaps and aim to spark a life-long passion for reading and THEY GIVE ME. learning in the children that we serve. ALSO, THEY MAKE Going forward, we will continue to saturate our targeted neighborhoods ME PURSUE MY with as many of our programs as possible, exposing “RIF Kids” to innovative programs from birth through their teenage years. DREAMS. THANK YOU RIF!” *Please note, our program figures are for our program year 2015-2016 (school year 2015-16 and summer 2016). Student at Pittsburgh Linden Our mission is to provide children with the resources, motivation, and opportunities to develop a life-long love of reading. “They give you awesome - and I mean awesome - books.” WE SERVE.... • More than 22,000 economically disadvantaged children and families in Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities through our programs and an additional 7,400 through community events • More than 170 sites • Seven targeted neighborhoods: East Liberty, Hazelwood, Hill District, Homewood, Northside, South Side, and Wilkinsburg Our core programs: • Bring innovative, high-quality literacy experiences to children and families • Support students as they build literacy skills and work to develop a life-long love of reading • Provide more than 103,000 books each year to the children who need them the most REST OF CITY OUTSIDE OF CITY Books for Keeps Books for Keeps program program 7,037 Children Served 851 Children Served 33 Sites Visited 3 Sites Visited 19,738 Books Given 2,811 Books Given *Program Year 9/15 - 8/16 “My favorite part of RIF is that we get cool books!” OUTSIDE OF CITY Books for Keeps programs X Children Served X Sites Visited X Books Given REST OF CITY Books for Keeps programs X Children Served X Sites Visited X Books Given “I believe that the program fosters a love of reading outside of school.” Books For Keeps Our largest program, Books for Keeps, features fun, In the 2015-16 program year, Books for Keeps: educational Reading Celebrations that combine story times, motivational literacy activities, and the • Provided hands on, interactive Reading Celebrations opportunity to select a book to take home and keep. at 97 sites across the City of Pittsburgh Designed to engage children in the joy of reading and learning throughout the school year and summer, • Engaged with over 16,000 economically Reading Celebrations pair story times with engaging disadvantaged students at schools, early childhood activities like games, crafts, and scientific exploration! centers, and afterschool programs By combining literature with cooking, dance, • Put over 52,000 new, high-quality books directly technology, and more, Books for Keeps works to ignite into the hands, hearts, and homes of the children a passion for reading and learning that will follow who are most in need children throughout their lives. These positive reading experiences are especially critical for children at-risk of • Partnered with the United Way to bring more than educational failure, providing them with the tools they 850 books to pre-teens and their mentors through need to succeed in school and beyond. the Be A Middle School Mentor program “They were exposed to so many different stories and it has really sparked their interest in books.” “It helps you learn your words, so when you go to college you know lots of words.” Math And Science Students and teachers agree—they can’t get enough In the 2015-16 program year, our Books for Keeps Math of our Books for Keeps Math and Science Reading and Science Program: Celebrations! Each special session kicks off with an interactive read-aloud story, focused on a STEAM • Gave over 3,100 children the opportunity to explore theme. Children then become mini-mathematicians, math, science, engineering, technology, and more engineers, and scientists by participating in hands-on through STEAM-centered Reading Celebrations at 27 experiments, games, explorations, and projects, all different sites based on the book. • Encouraged curiosity and passion for discovery After the activity, each child also chooses a brand-new in children, and helped to plant the first seeds for book to take home and keep from a selection of books a life-long love of learning that explore the world through the lens of math and science. These books often reinforce the skills and • Invited special guest scientists from ALCOSAN, topics that were covered in the Celebration, peak a Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, and others into child’s curiosity by exposing them to new material, classrooms, giving students a first-hand look at and empower them to reach their full potential by careers in STEAM fields reading and learning every single day. “They were exposed to so many different stories and it has really sparked their interest in books.” “It helps you learn your words, so when you go to college you know lots of words.” Everybody wins! Everybody Wins! is a lunchtime literacy and mentoring In the 2015-16 program year, Everybody Wins! program that strives to build literacy skills and a love of reading in elementary school students. This program • Hosted weekly one-on-one mentoring sessions at pairs first, second, and third graders with corporate and four PPS schools: Faison, King, Phillips, and Weil community volunteers to share lunch, conversation, and good books. Students look forward to spending time • Paired nearly 200 first, second, and third with their reading buddies each week and benefit from grade students with corporate and community the encouragement of a caring adult, while mentors volunteers to share lunch, conversation, and enjoy sharing a love of books with their students. books—each and every week • Loaned over 1,500 books through our “sharing” One study, sponsored by the U.S.