Supporting Educators Who Support Kids in Need
Coronavirus has shuttered schools–some for the rest of the school year–and left educators to implement at-home learning plans without the necessary resources. It has left kids in need without what may be the only access they have to the Internet or to books–making at-home learning close to impossible and leaving them at a significant disadvantage. However, for every child in need, there is an educator who is working, creating, and innovating to make sure their kids don’t fall behind. First Book is doing everything we can to support the educators who are keeping kids in need engaged in a time of crisis.
- We are urgently working to get 8 million books, donated by our publishing partners, to kids in need, who don’t have home libraries or Internet access for home learning. You can help us here: firstbook.org/cv. To date, we have distributed 1.7 million books and 760,000 download codes for Open eBooks.
- We are managing a constantly-updated clearinghouse of activities and resources for educators and parents to use at home, including an at-home learning section on the First Book Marketplace.
- We are constantly in touch with our network of educators to assess what they need, and respond as quickly as possible. Educators, you can talk to us about your funding needs here: bit.ly/firstbookCOVID-19relief
- If you haven’t added your voice to our network, please join us here.
Support kids in need during school closures. You can help here.
Mapping the Areas of Greatest Need: First Book’s COVID-19 Activation Network
First Book’s COVID-19 Activation Network map demonstrates the intense breadth and depth of need by plotting the thousands of educators funding requests we received in the wake of coronavirus-caused school closings. In partnership with PolicyMap, First Book developed the interactive map to both quantify and qualify the need. By clicking on the different map markers, you can see each individual educator’s story–read about their efforts to reach their kids amid shutdowns and social distancing, how they are working around limited access to Internet, and what they are doing to keep their kids engaged and learning.
We are creating and compiling free resources to support you and your students at home.
- Find a constantly updated list of resources from First Book and others here (firstbook.org/coronavirus-educator-resources). Check back often for new additions.
- Explore our At-home Learning section on the First Book Marketplace.
- If digital learning is a possibility for you, explore our Digital Learning section and our Open eBooks collection.
Video at right: First Book, the American Federation of Teachers, and the United Federation of Teachers are providing 10,000 books to homeless New York City students and families to support distance learning during the pandemic and create permanent shelter libraries.
We would not be able to reach as many educators and kids in need without the help of our generous partners. We could not be more grateful for their support.
Thank you to our partners who are providing kids in need with critical learning tools.
