They’re back at it again!
The Currys have just unveiled the first of 150 Little Town Libraries aimed at combating low literacy rates in Oakland, California, ABC 7 News reports.
Last September, Ayesha and Stephen Curry launched a new bus mobile under their Eat.Learn.Play Foundation umbrella. The bus acted as both a food truck and library, providing healthy meals for those in need on one side and books on the other, outfitted with TV’s, a rooftop deck and a basketball hoop. While the Currys started off hoping to eradicate food deserts in the Oakland area, they are now expanding their work to also tackle low literacy rates in the region.
According to the Foundation, statistics show that 1 in 3 children are usually reading at grade level by the end of their third-grade year. However, in Oakland, after two years of virtual schooling, only 15.4% of Black and 12.5% of Latino/a elementary students are currently reading at their grade level. Now the Currys are trying to combat that, unveiling the first of 150 Little Town Libraries aimed at bringing 30,000 books to children across the Bay Area.
“From kindergarten through third grade, making sure you are reading at your grade level by the time you get to third grade determines your educational future. So for us, turning those numbers around is really, really important,” Ayesha Curry said.
This was fun. With the Currys as they unveil “Little Town Libraries” around Oakland. First one went in at Franklin Elementary. pic.twitter.com/yEcESjZGa9
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The Oakland Literacy Coalition, Oakland Public Library and Black Cultural Zone are among the community partners selecting the locations for the Little Town Libraries. The first one has been placed at Franklin Elementary, a special place for the Currys as its where they had collaborated previously on a renovated basketball court, artwork, and a garden. The libraries will house a diverse array of stories that encourage students to reflect on their own identities while nurturing a culture of literacy.
“Being back here in person, a little more energy and bringing these Little Town Libraries here, this being the first one, hopefully reflects our commitment to Oakland and our commitment to the next generation of kids and continuing to find ways to impact them and giving them the proper resources and fun, that’s what it’s about,” said Stephen Curry.
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The Eat.Learn.Play Foundation hopes to make reading more fun and accessible through these installations, simultaneously helping to boost the literacy rates among the youth that need it the most.
“These boxes can hopefully [create] the access to literacy resources and service these kids in a fun way and accessible way. Like Ayesha said, 150 of these are going to go around Oakland and the right areas and locations. But that means 30,000 books at the hands of kids that need the inspiration, the tools to develop at the right ages and hopefully bring an amazing experience of fun to reading which is what it’s all about,” added Stephen.
To learn more about the work of the Curry’s Eat.Learn.Play Foundation, click here.
Photo Courtesy of Noah Graham/EatLearnPlay/Instagram