Calling all bookworms! Students in Prince George’s County Public Schools now have a lot more books to choose from, thanks to a book drive organized by the University of Maryland College of Education.
A team of undergraduate peer advisors collected and distributed 500 books to five Title I schools, making books accessible to children from low-income households.
Book drives such as this one are immensely important in supporting the next generation of learners. A 2010 analysis by the nonprofit organization Reading is Fundamental found that children’s reading and writing performance, language development and attitudes toward reading and learning improved when they had access to print reading materials.
“We wanted to find a way that we could give back to all of the educators who dedicate so much to their students,” said project member Shayna Becker, a sophomore majoring in human development. Becker, along with fellow peer advisors Alyssa Orlando, a sophomore special education major, and Adelaide Sudbrink, a sophomore majoring in early childhood education/early childhood special education, came up with the idea to host a book drive as a part of their Peer Advisors Capstone Project.
The students collected books of all genres for children in grades PK-12 from Jan. 27 to Feb. 3. They spent the next 10 weeks sorting, selecting, packing up and distributing books to 26 classroom libraries.
“It was great to see how excited both students and teachers were to receive these books. The teachers told us the books will positively impact their classrooms for years to come,” said Becker.
