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LINCOLN — A statewide pilot program, Nebraska Growing Readers, demonstrated significant positive associations with book access and early literacy behaviors among young children, according to a 2024 evaluation.
The initiative, which began in October of 2023, was a partnership between Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, the Statewide Family Engagement Center, Unite for Literacy, and the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE).
Using a $2 million commitment from the NDE, the program distributed an impressive 886,063 books to 37,872 children aged three to five across Nebraska with the goal of fostering improved reading habits and literacy development.
The evaluation examined the impact of the NGR book distribution across three distinct participant groups: Early Childcare Providers, Sixpence Home Visitation Families, and Entering Kindergartners in Lincoln, Omaha, Hastings, and Schuyler.
