First Book Partners with Reading Rainbow® to Offer Acclaimed Skybrary to Educators Serving Kids in Need – at a Fraction of the Cost

Award-winning app features digital library, video field trips, and educator-created lesson plans designed to inspire a love of learning for grades K-3

WASHINGTON, October 4, 2016 – First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise, is partnering with Reading Rainbow® to provide educators serving children in need with access to Skybrary, Reading Rainbow’s award-winning app of digital books and video explorations, at 75 percent off the retail price. The special reduced rate includes two classroom subscriptions, each one year long, and is available on the First Book Marketplace, First Book’s online site offering brand new books and educational resources – at the lowest possible prices or for free – to schools and programs serving children in need.

An easy-to-use, multipurpose online platform, Skybrary infuses digital books with purposeful interactivity and videos hosted by Reading Rainbow’s long-time host, LeVar Burton. The app is designed to foster a love of reading for children in grades K-3 and features instant access to more than 700 curated children’s books from leading publishers and celebrated authors, more than 250 video field trips, interactive animations, online video adventures, opportunities for students to read by themselves or with narrated storytellers, customized reading recommendations, a parent dashboard, and teacher management tools. Subscriptions provide access to Skybrary online as well as through iPad, Kindle Fire, or Android tablets.

“Helping students develop a lifelong love of reading is critical – and First Book is committed to providing educators serving children growing up in low-income families with full access to brand new books and learning materials in all their forms,” said Kyle Zimmer, First Book president and CEO. “We are thrilled to partner with Reading Rainbow to extend the reach and maximize the impact of the high quality content and programming available through Skybrary.”

Access to books and a print-rich environment are leading indicators of a child’s educational success, but for the 32 million children growing up in low-income families in the U.S. alone, books are scarce. Studies have found that in low-income neighborhoods there is only one book for every 300 children; whereas in more moderate income neighborhoods, there are 13 books for every child.

First Book has distributed more than 150 million books for children in need ages 0-18. Through the award-winning First Book Marketplace, eligible educators can access low-cost and free high quality books, learning materials, school supplies, and essentials, such as warm coats, toothbrushes, and nonperishable snacks.

First Book works with formal and informal educators in a wide range of settings – from schools, classrooms, summer school and park and rec programs, to health clinics, homeless shelters, faith-based programs, libraries, museums, summer food sites and more. First Book’s community of 275,000 educators is the largest and fastest growing educational network exclusively serving children in need. First Book now supports an estimated one in five educators working in the lives of children in need in the U.S.

Educators and programs working with children in need are invited to sign up with First Book at www.firstbook.org/register.

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About First Book

First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise founded in 1992 that has distributed more than 150 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada, which, with more than 275,000 members, is the largest and fastest growing network of educators exclusively serving kids in need. By making new, high-quality books and educational resources available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education. Eligible educators, librarians, providers, and others serving children in need can sign up at firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.