Education Kits

Literacy Kit Project 

Reading proficiency by third grade is the single greatest predictor of a child’s future success, yet students who fall behind are four times more likely to face academic challenges. Since 2015, our corporate partners have bridged this gap by distributing over 2,500 Literacy Kits curated collections of books and interactive activities designed to bring stories to life. In the time it takes to have a lunch break, your team can assemble a kit with a book and associated activities designed to make reading interactive and enjoyable for children, providing educators and volunteers with ready-to-use resources that foster language development, creative thinking, and a lifelong love of learning.

When

Kit creation events can be set up anytime, anywhere.

Where

Help spark a child’s imagination right where you are – your workplace or other group setting

For more information contact:

John Santana at 609-896-1912 or john.santana@uwgmc.org

A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman

• A Pocket for Corduroy is a beloved children’s book by Don Freeman, a sequel to Corduroy, where the teddy bear goes on an adventure at a laundromat searching for a pocket of his own after his owner, Lisa, is told to empty her pockets. 
• Themes: Friendship, adventure, and the importance of listening to parents.
• Target Audience: Ages 3–6,  Grades Preschool – 1st grade.

The Magical Garden of Claude Monet by Laurence Anholt

• The book follows a young girl named Julie who follows her dog into a mysterious garden, where she meets Monet, who shows her his world of water lilies, bridges, and vibrant colors, blending Anholt’s illustrations with reproductions of Monet’s famous paintings. It’s part of the “Anholt’s Artists” series and aims to make art history accessible and inspiring for children. 
• Topic: introduction to Impressionism, Monet’s life, and his famous garden at Giverny, making art history accessible for children. 
• Target Audience: Ages 6-9, Grades 1 – 4th grade
• “At-risk students who have access to the arts in or out of school tend to have better academic results, better workforce opportunities, and more civic engagement…these and other positive outcomes are associated with high levels of arts exposure for youth of low socioeconomic status.” * The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies, National Endowment for the Arts. (NEA) www.arts.gov

The Juice Box Bully – by Bob Sornson & Maria Dismondy

• Have you ever seen a bully in action and done nothing about it? The kids at Pete’s new school get involved, instead of being bystanders. When the juice box mess becomes more than just a dirty shirt, Pete’s classmates teach him about “The Promise”. Will Pete decide to shed his bullying habits and make “The Promise”?
• Topic: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others
• Target Audience: Ages 5-9, Grades 1 – 4th grade
• Bullying is a problem that affects everyone. To end the cycle of bullying, children need to be taught empathy, kindness, tolerance and ethics. In the time it takes to have lunch, employees can create an Anti-bullying kit – an excellent resource for children  and their parents to deal with this critical issue. An anti-bullying kit is comprised of an age-appropriate book with supplemental materials. Kits are distributed to United Way supported school-based programs that teach the importance of being an “upstander” against bullying. Anti-bullying kits give teachers, child care workers and parents ready-to-use tools to reinforce the important lessons around tolerance and understanding.