Before third grade, children are learning to read. After third grade, they are reading to learn.
Statistics show that if a child is not at the proper reading level by third grade, they are four times more likely to drop out of school.
Unfortunately, many kids don’t have access to the books they need to get there - particularly those kids who come from low-income households. There is only one book to every 300 kids in poverty, according to Reading is Fundamental (RIF). According to RIF, two-thirds of America’s children living in poverty have no books at home.
Through a valuable 20-year partnership with Reading is Fundamental, UGI is working to be sure our children have access to books, so they are able to achieve the literacy they need to succeed in school and in life.
More than 500 UGI employees (40% of our workforce) travel to schools across our service areas throughout the school year each year, distributing books to first graders, reading with them and sharing the love of reading. Along with UGI employees, students are visited by UGI’s ageless and all-knowing “Reading Wizard,” who makes reading come alive through the power of his books.
The program provides more than 50,000 books to more than 16,000 first-grade students each year. UGI has distributed more than 1 million books to first graders throughout our service area, which spans the state of Pennsylvania and parts of Maryland. UGI recently was honored with RIF’s 2011 Legacy of Literacy award for outstanding commitment to children’s literacy.
Learn more about the RIF and UGI’s committment to childhood literacy here.
