- Benay Hicks
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
We're Endorsing the Open Books, Open Doors Act. Here's Why.
It's a simple image: a child reaching for a book on their own shelf. Picking it up because they want to. Because it's theirs. Because it's been waiting for them.
That moment — that small, powerful act of ownership — changes everything. It changes how a child sees themselves as a reader. When families have books at home, reading becomes a joyful ritual and a shared adventure.
Research backs this up, and our hearts already know it to be true: children who grow up with books of their own from birth are more likely to read proficiently by third grade, one of the strongest predictors of high school graduation.
This is why we are thrilled to share that Book Harvest is endorsing the Open Books, Open Doors Act, introduced yesterday by Senator Andy Kim (NJ) who believes, as we do, that every child deserves a home library brimming with opportunity and possibility.
The bill would establish a $100 million annual competitive grant to get books directly into children's hands through the places families already know and trust. The bill also supports early screening for learning disabilities, family literacy programs, and a coordinated national strategy across eight federal agencies — meeting families where they are and building the kind of wraparound support that makes book ownership possible for every child, in every community.
Book Harvest is proud to endorse this legislation alongside more than 20 organizations including the American Library Association, Reading is Fundamental, the National Book Access Association, the National Center for Learning Disabilities, and the National Center for Families Learning. Together, we believe that every child deserves a home library brimming with possibility.
More books in more homes. More children who reach for a story just because they can. That's the vision. And right now, it feels closer than ever.
Read the full announcement: https://www.kim.senate.gov/press_release/senator-kim-introduces-legislation-to-combat-book-deserts-and-illiteracy/
