Ridge Crest Elementary (Blackfoot) - Bucks for Books

This Donation will buy a book for Ridge Crest Elementary in Blackfoot. Their Librarian says " At Ridge Crest Elementary more than 50% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch and fall into the low-income student category. The biggest obstacle that my students face that interferes with reading is their ability to access books. A lot of the students that attend our school do not have books that are easily accessible to them. The only opportunity they have to pick what they would like to read is when they visit me in the library. When they come to library, we work hard to find out what their interests are and what kind of books will help spark a love for reading that will go with them throughout their life. Together, we have been successful doing this with many of our students. If we are awarded funds, this program would allow me to continue to dig down and find out what my students interests are and expand my library to include more books in the genres where we are lacking. Some of the most requested books are sports books, adventure books, graphic novels of any kind, and more kindergarten and 1st grade level books. These are the biggest needs in our library. The students are constantly joining a waitlist for books in these genres because we do not have enough to keep books in all their hands. Sometimes they are waiting weeks for a book in the genre they are interested in and by the time a book reaches them they have lost interest in reading it which is another major obstacle we are facing. If we are awarded funds from this program, it would allow me to provide access to more books that my students are interested in and keep that spark alive for my students. There is nothing I love more than when my struggling readers get hooked and develop a love for reading. The ability to add new books to our library always helps keep that love for reading alive. My students and I would be incredibly grateful to be awarded funds from this program. Thank you for your time and consideration."

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.