Pat Anderson School at Southwest Idaho Juvenile Detention Center - Bucks for Books

This Donation will buy a book for Pat Anderson School at Southwest Idaho Juvenile Detention Center in Caldwell. Their Librarian says "Most of the obstacles that interfere with my students' reading come from lack of text-rich environments during formative years, lack of role models who read, lack of a reading community, lack of skill in reading, lack of access to books and from digital overload.
Since they do not have access to electronics while at JDC, I have the perfect opportunity to introduce the magic of reading! I model how to read picture books so they can read to their younger siblings when they get out. I inform them of places they can get books for little to nothing. We have a book-group-atmosphere where students recommend good books to others. The correctional staff read the new books we receive so they can encourage reading while students are not in school. The staff and their families donate books that they have enjoyed reading to our library and share their reading experiences with the students.
Our library is organized based on genre so students can select books that interest them. We surround the students with a text-rich environment, celebrate YA authors, and bring a writer in residence from the Log Cabin Literacy Center in Boise to complete the reading to writing cycle.
Our greatest need is informational text. So much of being a successful adult rests on the ability to decode information that presents itself in employment, in personal finance, in legal situations, and in training opportunities. Students will soon discover that reading is the gateway to ultimate success and living without this skill will limit them greatly.
My hope is to provide such a rich reading experience that they will compensate for the obstacles that have limited their past and read their way into a limitless future."

In 2019, the Idaho Lottery learned 28 percent of Idaho elementary schools had a library budget of less than $100 per year for book procurement. In reality, it would take nearly $8,000 every year per school to maintain the library collection students need to succeed. With that in mind, the Idaho Lottery worked with the Idaho Commission for Libraries to start Bucks For Books. Literacy has been a focus of Idaho Governor Brad Little since he took office in 2019. Getting all Idaho students reading at grade level by the third grade is imperative as that is the point where students transition from learning-to-read to reading-to-learn. Having a well-stocked library and the ability for all students to take books home is crucial in getting all Idaho students where they need to be.