KenCrest, in partnership with First Book, paves the way to education for children and families below the poverty level.
Since 1992, First Book has built a path out of poverty through education by distributing books to children and families below the poverty level. Recently, KenCrest partnered with First Book and the Pennsylvania Early Intervention program to give books to approximately 700 eligible families within our Early Intervention program.
First Book has distributed over 250 million books and educational resources to programs and schools across the United States, reaching an average of 6.5 million children annually. Since its founding, First Book has helped millions of children gain a greater education and receive educational, basic needs, and wellness support.
“Children that receive books through their relationship with KenCrest have some combination of economic disadvantage, developmental delay, and sometimes lack of permanent, stable housing,” says Edie Harrison, KenCrest’s Director of Program Services for Birth-to-Five, Home, and Community-Based Early Intervention. “The books they receive provide them with opportunities to start a change in all those factors.”
Reading books helps children develop language skills, empathy, and the ability to manage their big emotions, as well as create an unbreakable parent-child bond.
According to Harrison, the infant and toddlers that receive First Books are thrilled to have them, and it helps encourage interactions with others as they read with caregivers, friends, and peers. It also allows for opportunities to embed therapy strategies into a fun and motivating activity.
Most First Book recipients are children either receiving support through KenCrest’s Early Intervention program or residing in supportive housing shelters on behalf of the Philadelphia Infant-Toddler Early Intervention program.
KenCrest partners with Child Find, which tries to locate children in supportive housing who could benefit from early intervention but are not being referred for whatever reason. According to Edie, every child experiencing homelessness is eligible for Early Intervention, whether they have a developmental delay or not.
Chosen contacts from First Book, like Harrison, travel to every site to encourage children to pick out books. Afterward, they get to keep every book they pick out. Families must request books directly through a KenCrest interventionist rather than through First Book. Recently, Edie has focused on obtaining books that pertain to different languages, like Russian, Dari, or French.
As a part of Pennsylvania’s Early Intervention program, KenCrest only receives referrals from local pediatricians or schools. Please get in touch with your doctor for more information about getting involved with Early Intervention.
Typically, when a family moves into a shelter, they leave behind many of their personal belongings, including books. So, when children can pick out what books they like and keep them, it gives them a sense of security and normalcy, something many of them have been lacking.
Harrison recalls one supportive housing visit, “when we walked in, the mother was very excited to see that we had a book from her childhood. She picked that one out for her young daughter and took it to a reading nook in the back of the room. She spent 15 minutes reading with her daughter, and they both had huge smiles by the end. That one book brought happy memories to the mother, formed new memories for her daughter, and provided them both with a bonding opportunity.”
It was a memorable moment for the family and Harrison, something she hopes continues with other families throughout Philadelphia.
Harrison has received several grants to purchase books from organizations like C&S Grocers and the Montgomery County Foundation. The foundation recently granted KenCrest $6,000 through the Ted Orkvid Fund for new books.
The First Book marketplace offers a wide variety of discounted books aimed at children aged 0-3. This allows Harrison to access diverse books featuring various cultures, languages, concepts, skills, and even a few quirky characters.
"Maslow's Hierarchy states that if you don't have your basic needs met, like food and shelter, then you're not going to be able to get your higher level things. So when you're working with a family, if they're worried about having a warm coat for their child or diapers for their babies, they can't focus on other things like their Early Intervention needs.," says Harrison. "Our Interventionists are on the front lines working with families to meet those basic needs because they care and want to watch each child succeed."
Want to learn more about First Book or KenCrest’s partnership? Click the link below!
