Original Six Foundation launches literacy programming across the state
May 3, 2021
Book Fairs Focus on Early Childhood Literacy
The Original Six Foundation (O6 Foundation) is proud to announce the 2021 My First Library program serving 16 South Carolina schools. During the month of May, the program will provide students in the state’s highest-need areas with summer reading books to build at-home libraries.
My First Library will impact over 1,250 students in 5K to ensure they are prepared to enter the first grade. Targeting resources at this stage of development is critical to a child’s future academic success and is an under-served effort across the state.
“Students who can’t read by the third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school. That’s why these libraries are so important. We’re telling these kids they matter, we’ve got their back, and we are going to make sure they have the tools they need to succeed,” said Nikki Haley, Founder and Chair of the O6 Foundation.
My First Library book fairs will be held in 8 school districts across Bamberg, Barnwell, Florence, Kershaw, Marion, Richland, and Union counties at schools that have been determined as high poverty areas by the South Carolina Department of Education.
“There is nothing more powerful than instilling the love of reading in a young child,” said Nicki Hood, Executive Director of the O6 Foundation. “We are grateful to our community partners and donors for making hundreds of ‘first libraries’ possible for children who need them most.”
Established in 2016, by South Carolina Future Minds, the My First Library program allows early childhood students to stay engaged and improve reading skills during summer months. Absorbed by the O6 Foundation in July 2020, the program will reach 1,250 students with 12,500 new books this year.
In addition to the O6 Foundation, key community partners include Bojangles, The Longleaf Fund, The Women’s Club of Columbia, and the Carolina Panthers.
Founded in 2011, by then-Governor Haley, the O6 Foundation believes children across South Carolina deserve a quality education regardless of where they are born and raised. The O6 Foundation works to improve education by identifying gaps and filling them through hands on engagement and resources.
To learn more or to donate, please visit: www.originalsixfoundation.org.
