Books for Collier Kids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving children’s literacy, is partnering with the Collier County Sherriff’s Office to provide free books to children at an event hosted by CCSO.
The event, called “Hot Summer Nights 2023”, will take place on July 20, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Mackle Park on Marco Island, and feature games, food, and fun – as well as a volunteer from Books for Collier Kids to distribute books to children attending the event.
Since its founding, Books for Collier Kids has donated over 1.6 million books to pre-K, kindergarten, first- and second-grade students in-need, to combat one of the largest hurdles to literacy: lack of access to books.
The nonprofit currently aims to tackle a phenomenon known as “summer slide”, which occurs when children do not have steady access to books over the summer. Young students without reading material in the home will often face a decline in literacy levels, entering the next school year with reading skills on average 30% lower than their peers. Three out of five children in the Collier County Public Schools come from households designated as economically needy, where few books are to be found.
To help offset this trend, Books for Collier Kids has -- through association with other local nonprofits -- donated over 15,000 new, age-appropriate books to children in need.
Books for Collier Kids will collaborate with CCSO again for the next Hot Summer Nights event, which will occur on July 27th in Everglades City Park.
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