COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The Scripps Howard Fund is marking the 10th anniversary of its “If You Give a Child a Book…” campaign, an initiative aimed at putting free books into the hands of children who may not otherwise have access to them.
The campaign partners with Title I schools and Scholastic to provide free book fairs, allowing students to choose age-appropriate books to take home and build their own home libraries. The Fund’s goal is for each student in participating schools to receive 10 books each year.
Kaeli Erskine, philanthropic development manager for the Scripps Howard Fund, said the need remains significant.
“Unfortunately, we know that there are currently roughly 25 million children across the country who can't read proficiently,” Erskine explained.
The Scripps Howard Fund says children who lack consistent access to books spend less time reading, which can contribute to lower reading proficiency and challenges later in school. The campaign specifically focuses on underserved children, with an emphasis on students in low-income schools.
Erskine said the program is designed to make sure children have books available not only at school, but also at home.
“The whole purpose of the program is to build in-home libraries,” she said. “So while they're at school, of course, they have access to reading materials and different sorts of things, but what about when they leave school or during summer when there are breaks, things like that.”
A key part of the program is allowing children to select their own books through Scholastic Book Fairs.
“We really lean into that power of choice,” Erskine added. “So the students will essentially shop the book fair, um, at no cost to them. And what they're doing is choosing their own books, but those are books that they keep.”
The books do not have to be returned to the school, allowing students to begin building personal libraries at home.
“For us, our goal is that every year, each student will choose 10 books,” Erskine stated. “So that by the time they end their elementary career and move on to the next phase of school, they'll be armed with this arsenal of books that they've chosen themselves.”
The Scripps Howard Fund says research has found children who select their own books are more likely to enjoy reading and score higher on comprehension tests. The Fund also says schools have reported more conversations about books and the formation of student book clubs after the book fairs. The campaign is celebrating its 10th year in 2026 and is expected to distribute its 2 millionth book during the 2026-27 school year. In 2025, the program invested $1.7 million to provide 280,000 books to students at 93 Title I partner schools.
For local students, Erskine said the program is currently operating in six elementary schools in Southern Colorado. Donations can make an immediate difference. Erskine said a $12 donation provides two books for students participating in the program. On Sept. 9, donations are being matched, meaning a $12 donation can provide four books. The Scripps Howard Fund announced a two-day matching campaign for donations made Sept. 8-9, with the Fund matching the first $200,000 donated.
Erskine said the response from students can be especially meaningful when they receive books of their own.
“You can see just a change in them literally from the moment when they, you know, before they got the book to when they're holding it, and it's like, this is my first book, I can't wait to tell my mom and dad,” she said.
“I always tell people it's lightning in a bottle, and until you can experience it, it's unmatched,” Erskine added.
The Scripps Howard Fund launched the campaign in 2016. During the 2026-27 school year, it expects to reach the milestone of distributing 2 million books to children since the program began.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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