During Literacy Month, Bernie’s Book Bank was proud to be featured by CBS Chicago in a story highlighting the organization’s work to improve literacy by putting books directly into the hands and homes of children who need them most.
For more than 15 years, Bernie’s Book Bank has been working to address one of the most persistent challenges facing children today: access to books. Since our founding in 2009, we have hand-delivered more than 32 million free, high-quality books to children, helping them build home libraries of their own.
The need is significant. It is estimated that 32 million children in the United States lack access to books in their homes, schools or communities, while 25 million children cannot read proficiently. But access to books is more than a statistic. Research increasingly demonstrates the meaningful role book ownership can play in children’s reading development.
A five-year randomized controlled trial conducted in partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools found that students attending schools receiving Bernie’s Book Bank books achieved statistically significant gains in reading achievement compared with students in control schools. The results represented approximately 25–32% of a school year in additional learning, with an even greater effect among students who received books over multiple years.
Bernie’s model is simple: provide children with eight free, high-quality books each year from birth through sixth grade, giving them the opportunity to build a personal library of 96 books by age 12.
The CBS Chicago feature is a powerful reminder of why this work matters. Every book placed in a child’s hands represents an opportunity to read, learn, imagine and discover what’s possible.
