READ TO SUCCEED

Prepared for
The Dallas Chamber of Commerce
Dallas, Texas

Prepared by
Lesley Capehart
Mohbbeen Imran
Lawrence Lee
Buu Nguyen
Jessica Ritchie
Local Marketing Representatives
Scholastic Corporation

February 26, 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................ 1
PROBLEM .......................................................................................................................... 1
PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................... 2
PROPOSED PLAN ............................................................................................................. 3
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS ..................................................................................... 3
SCHEDULE ........................................................................................................................ 5
STAFFING ......................................................................................................................... 6
BUDGET ............................................................................................................................ 6
AUTHORIZATION ............................................................................................................ 7
WORKS CITED ................................................................................................................. 8

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure
1
2
3
4

At-Risk Children Who Dont Receive a High-Quality

Early Childhood Are More Likely To: ................................................................... 2
Youth Served by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas .................................. 4
Monthly Event Locations and Targeted Schools .................................................... 5
Annual Expected Expenses ..................................................................................... 6

ii

3470 South Watson Road | Arlington, TX 76014

phone 817.557.4977 | fax 817.557.5098
email: info@scholastic.com

February 26, 2015

The Dallas Chamber of Commerce

500 N. Akard St #2600
Dallas, TX
To The Dallas Chamber of Commerce:
Literacy among children is an important key to improve the community. According to Ounce of
Prevention, an organization focused on the development of children in poverty, early childhood
programs are the most cost-effective way to ensure the healthy development of children in
poverty and offer the greatest returns to society (Why Investments in Early Childhood Work,
n.d.). The Scholastic Corporation is pleased to propose a plan to help to promote literacy
awareness among the children living in Dallas low income communities.
Background
There are various existing youth literacy programs, however, most of them fail to target the
children from low-income households. Many people are unaware that a total of 28% of children
aged 35 years who were not living in poverty were able to recognize all the letters of the
alphabet, while only 10% of children living in poverty were able to do so (Duursma, 2008). As
stated on the Scholastic website, the corporate mission of Scholastic is to encourage the
intellectual and personal growth of all children, beginning with literacy (Robinson, n.d).
Problem
A widely acknowledged concern in education is the gap in quality education between lowincome communities and their less economically challenged neighboring communities. In 2011,
the US Department of Education issued a press release stating, more than 40% of low-income
schools dont get a fair share of state and local funds (More Than 40% of Low Income,
2011). The lack of educational funding in these communities has an adverse effect on the
development and literacy of the children. The Dallas area has such a diverse range of
socioeconomic statuses, of which include many low income communities. By targeting these
communities with Read to Succeed, the Dallas Chamber of Commerce and Scholastic can
work together to increase literacy rates for the children who live in these communities and
improve their opportunities for a successful future. There are many factors as to why children
living in low-income communities have drastically lower literacy rates. These include decreased
school funding, their parents educational level, and reduced access to books. Studies show that
while there are 13 books per child in middle income communities, there is only 1 book per 300
children in low income communities (Starting a Book Distribution Team: The Facts, n.d.).

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Without an increased focus on literacy at an early age, children in low income communities can
fall victim to their demographic statistics. Information collected from Ounce of Prevention is
used in Figure 1 below to illustrate the grim futures of children in these communities.
Figure 1

At-Risk Children Who Don't Receive a HighQuality Early Childhood Are More Likely To:
drop out of school
become a teen parent
be placed in special education
never attend college
be arrested for a violent crime
0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Source: "Why Investments in Early Childhood Work." About the Ounce. The Ounce, n.d. Web.
17 Feb. 2015.
Purpose
The Scholastic Corporation created Read to Succeed, a program which advocates emergent
literacy rates among low-income children in the Dallas area by inspiring early childhood interest
in reading. One characteristic of emergent literacy is for children to learn about the written
language through exploring, engaging, and observing adults during writing and reading
situations. Teaching children to read is extremely important; however, studies have shown that
reading out loud engages and inspires children to further develop their reading skills. According
to the authors of Book Smart, children who have an enthusiastic reader as a role model may stay
determined to learn to read, even when facing challenges, rather than becoming easily
discouraged (Cunningham & Zibulsky, 1). Reading out loud increases the comprehension of the
text, especially when the reader connects the text with pictures in the book, or links the material
to situations the child can relate to. The style of reading and appealing to the childrens interest is
crucial to developing a childs passion for reading. This project was designed to drastically
increase the opportunities for a bright and successful future for children from low-income
households that do not receive a high-quality childhood education. The Read to Succeed
program is designed to captivate the minds of children during expressive verbal readings,
followed by interactive activities related to the book. The purpose of Read to Succeed is to
target low-income communities where the need for improved literacy in children is great. By
inspiring childrens interest in reading at the program events, we will be able to make lasting
effects in the communities we serve. By working together to increase the literacy rates in these at

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risk communities, we not only change the lives of the children we serve directly, but the entire
Dallas area community will benefit as a whole. Ultimately, these questions will be focused on
throughout the project:

What impacts on young children arise from not receiving a high-quality education? What is
the possibility of these impacts that may be expected to occur?

What kind and how many themes will be used for the event? How often will these events be
held and can we reuse these themes for future events?

Which organizations are best suited for the purpose of the project? How can Scholastic
cooperate with these organizations to promote literacy and personal growth of all children?

Proposed Plan
The Scholastic Corporation recognizes the need for literacy improvement and community
involvement for children in low income areas, and plans on holding themed events with the help
from local nonprofit organizations. By partnering with The Y (YMCA) and Boys & Girls Clubs
of Greater Dallas, Read to Succeed will have access to facilities throughout Dallas to host the
program events. Each event targets a specific age group, where they all have different expected
levels of literacy; therefore, a different theme that corresponds with the chosen book will be
used. During the reading, certain scenes from the book will be re-enacted by volunteers to
enhance and prolong the childrens interest in reading. In addition, themed activities and snacks
will follow the reading to enhance the childrens experience. Scholastic will provide a copy of
the book to each child, which will allow the children to follow along during the reading and be
later used for shared reading at home with their parents or guardians. It has been shown that
children who experience shared reading from an early age tend to be more interested in reading
at age 4 and 5 than children who receive shared book reading when they are older (Duursma,
2008). Through our well-connected relationship with more than 90% of schools in the U.S.
and other amendable nonprofit organizations, elementary students around the ages of 5 through
10 along with their parents or guardians and members within those organizations are encouraged
to join (Robinson, n.d.). Although this program mainly targets children from low-income
households, children who do not have a low-income background can also participate in the
events.
Community Partnerships
As this project requires great effort and willingness to contribute to the society, Scholastic
appealed for help from two reputable nonprofit organizations, which are The Y and The Boys &
Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas. With similar beliefs as our own, The Y vows to put Christian
principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all
(Robinson, n.d.). As for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, their mission statement is to
enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as
productive, caring, responsible citizens (Our Mission, n.d.). Both organizations aim for the
betterment of their communities, which complies with Scholastics mission to improve literacy

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and personal growth. According to research, YMCA of the United States serves 21 million
people each year, of which 10 million are children ages 17 and under (Moore, 2008). Similarly,
the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas serve a large variety of individuals, but their most
dominant youth age group is between six to ten years old as shown in Figure 2, which is within
our targeted age group.
Figure 2

Commentary: 55% of the youth served are male and 45% are female
"Our Facts and Figures." Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Who We Are. Boys & Girls Clubs of
America, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
George Williams created the YMCA, Young Mens Christian Association, in 1844 to cross the
rigid lines separating English social classes, which can be tied back to our goal (The Story of
Our Founding, n.d.). Scholastic is currently trying to increase literacy and support for children
within low income households, which is also alleviating the inequality from different social
classes. Similarly, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America was created in 1860 by Mary Goodwin,
Alice Goodwin, and Elizabeth Hammersley from Hartford, Connecticut with the purpose of
helping kids reach their full potential (Our History, n.d.). The Y provides support for a variety
of causes, but the majority of their purpose is to provide services for the youth. As stated on their
website, The Y aided several world crises, like the Pacific Rim tsunami (2001), Hurricane
Katrina (2005) and the Earthquake in Haiti (2010), with the ultimate goal of rekindling the hope
in the affected communities, particularly among children and young people (2000 to present,
n.d.). Furthermore, College Goal Sunday was added to their educational programs for youth in
2008, which helps low-income, at-risk or non-traditional students with the financial aid
process (2000 to present, n.d.). With their focus on youth, The Y is one of the best suited
nonprofit organizations out there for this project. Likewise, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater
Dallas has community betterment programs in place, such as Academic Success and Good
Character & Citizenship Programs. The Academic Success programs goal is to [ensure] that all
Club members graduate from high school on time so that students are ready for post-secondary
education and a 21st-century career (Academic Success, n.d.). The Good Character &

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Citizenship Program shapes members into engaged citizens involved in the community, while
building strong character (Good Character & Citizenship, n.d.). These programs are currently
implemented by The Y and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, which emphasize the
connection with the goals of Read to Succeed. Partnerships with these organizations are
important to the ability of Read to Succeed to reach the children of these communities. The Y
and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas will be our main source of support, however, as the
project progresses, more organizations are welcome to join.
Schedule
Read to Succeed consists of three themed events every month, with each event targeting a
different age group. These events will be repeated in various Dallas communities each month.
Through the cooperation with our community partners (The Y and Boys & Girls Club of Greater
Dallas), Read to Succeed will be able to increase literacy in communities all across the Dallas
area. At the same time, by collaborating with local elementary schools, Read to Succeed will
become more recognized in the targeted communities. The schedule for the first twelve months
of implementation for the Read to Succeed program is presented below in Figure 3.
Elementary schools within the range of each event location are also listed, as Read to Succeed
will collaborate with these schools to promote event attendance. If no conflicts arise, the
schedule can be repeated on a yearly basis.
Figure 3
MONTHLY EVENT LOCATIONS AND TARGETED SCHOOLS
Month

Community Partner/Event Location

Local Elementary Schools

T Boone Pickens YMCA 601 N Akard St Dallas

Houston

Boys & Girls Club 1057 Cascade St Mesquite

Floyd, Motley, Mackey, Tisinger

YMCA of Metro Dallas 1621 West Walnut Hill Lane Irving

Britain, Good, Gilbert, Keyes, J Haley

Town North Family YMCA 4332 Northhaven Rd Dallas

Gooch, Nathan Adams, Frank, Bush

Boys & Girls Club 1210 W Beltline Rd Richardson

Dover, Bukhair, Spring Valley, Skyview

Park South YMCA 2500 Romine Ave Dallas

King Jr, Rice, Rhoads, Dunbar

Lakewest Family YMCA 3737 Goldman St. Dallas

Carr, DeZevala, Lanier, Earhart

Boys & Girls Club 1000 Enterprise St. Grand Prairie

Fannin, Houston, Daniels, Garcia, Bowie

Mooreland Family YMCA 907 E Ledbetter Dr. Dallas

Bryan, Oliver, Holland, Russell

10

White Rock YMCA 7324 Gaston Ave Suite 300 Dallas

Sanger, Mata, Bayles

11

Boys & Girls Club 2907 Linfield Rd. Dallas

Bushman, Miller, Starks

12

Oak Cliff Family YMCA 6701 S Hampton Rd. Dallas

Turner, McNair, Terry, Twain

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Staffing
Scholastic Corporation is a nationally recognized publisher and distributor of childrens books
with the goal of enhancing childrens intellectual and personal growth. This project will be led
and executed by volunteered employees from Scholastic, members from The Y and the Boys &
Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, and, as well as, parents or guardians of participating children.
Employees from Scholastic are in charge of collaborating with members from The Y, the Boys &
Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, and local schools to promote the events to the low-income parents
or guardians. Parents or guardians are more than welcome to join in the process of decoration
and promotion.
Budget
The Read to Succeed budget has been created to encompass all three themed-events that relate
to each age group we focus on. The budget forecast has been made to fund Read to Succeed
for the entire year. The program events will be held at The Y and The Boys & Girls Club
facilities on weekends, which eliminates the need for facility cost. Every month, the three
themed events will focus on a different low income Dallas community. For these events, the
expenses consist of costumes and props used to accompany the reading, books to be given to the
children, supplies (for activities, crafts, and games), and snacks. As these events will be
coordinated by volunteers of Scholastic, there is no need for staffing cost. The expected annual
expenses are shown below in Figure 4.
Figure 4

The largest portion of the budget will be spent on books for the children to read along during the
play and to take home. Since we are Scholastic, we are able to get the books at cost. Additional
funds have been allocated to the book budget, so that an assortment of books can be left behind
at each event facility for community use. By allotting the highest portion of our budget on
literature for children, Read to Succeed can insure that literacy improvement is the top priority.

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Authorization
As we have discussed, research shows that children living in low-income communities have a
lower literacy rate than those who live above poverty. By targeting this demographic leads to the
following conclusion and recommendations about the creation of Read to Succeed:
1. Our mission is to inspire children to read by holding themed events for each age group
with the help of the Y and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas.
2. Our Read to Succeed program is designed to compensate for the realized deficiencies
in early literacy development and reduced access to books for children in these Dallas
communities.
3. Read to Succeed will target the low-income communities to promote literacy
awareness among the children in Dallas. Increasing the literacy development for these
children will not only be of benefit immediately in their education, but will improve their
opportunities for a bright and successful future.
Based on what Read to Succeed program will offer to low-income children, we recommend
that the Dallas Chamber of Commerce select this program for the Businesses Give Back
competition in order to increase awareness for literacy and inspiring children to read. We are
confident that our educational and self-motivated Read to Succeed program will enhance the
quality of literacy in children from Dallas low-income households, which will benefit the Dallas
community presently and in the distant future. Scholastic Corporation can provide an annual
report including specific results from the first year of implementation, if the Dallas Chamber of
Commerce partners with us by electing Read to Succeed for the competition.

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WORKS CITED
"2000 to Present." The Y: History - 2000 to Present. YMCA, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.ymca.net/history/2000-present.html>.
Academic Success. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater
Dallas, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
<https://bgcdallas.org/childrenprograms_categories/academic-success/>.
Cunningham, Anne E., and Jamie Zibulsky. Book smart: How to Develop and Support
Successful, Motivated Readers. New York: Oxford University Press, (2013). Print
Duursma, E., M. Augustyn, and B. Zuckerman. "Reading Aloud to Children: The Evidence."
Archives of Disease in Childhood 93.7 (2008): 554-57. Reach Out and Read. Reach Out
and Read, 25 Feb. 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.reachoutandread.org/filerepository/readingaloudtochildren_adc_july2008.pd
f>.
"Good Character & Citizenship." Boys Girls Club of Dallas: Programs. Boys Girls Club of
Dallas, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. <https://bgcdallas.org/programs/good-character-andcitizenship/>.
Moore, Mamie. "For Immediate Release." The Y: More People Turn to the YMCA Than Ever
Before. YMCA, 4 Aug. 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.ymca.net/news-releases/20080804-membership-reaches-21-million.html>.
More Than 40% of Low-Income Schools Dont Get a Fair Share of State and Local Funds,
Department of Education Research Finds. U.S. Department of Education. 30 Nov. 2011.
Web. 15 Feb. 2015. < http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/more-40-low-incomeschools-dont-get-fair-share-state-and-local-funds-department-education-research-finds>
Our Facts and Figures. Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Boys & Girls Clubs of American, n.d.
Web. 18 Feb. 2015. < http://www.bgca.org/whoweare/Pages/FactsFigures.aspx>
"Our Mission." Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Boys & Girls Clubs of America, n.d. Web. 16
Feb. 2015. < http://www.bgca.org/whoweare/pages/mission.aspx>.
"Our History." Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Who We Are. Boys & Girls Clubs of America,
n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. <http://www.bgca.org/whoweare/Pages/History.aspx>.
Robinson, Dick. "Welcome from Dick Robinson." About Scholastic. Scholastic, n.d. Web. 18
Feb. 2015. <http://www.scholastic.com/aboutscholastic/>.
Starting a Book Distribution Team: The Facts. United We Serve. Corporation for National &
Community Service, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. <http://www.serve.gov/?q=sitepage/toolkits/book-drive/index>.

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"The Story of Our Founding." The Y: History- Founding. YMCA, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.ymca.net/history/founding.html>.
"Why Investments in Early Childhood Work." About the Ounce. The Ounce, n.d. Web. 17 Feb.
2015. <http://www.ounceofprevention.org/about/why-early-childhood-investmentswork.php>.