Page Ahead

Page Ahead operates on one simple and astounding fact: being read to as a youngster is the foremost predictor of academic success in childhood. If a child can read at grade level by 3rd grade, she will continue to read at grade level throughout her academic career. A child who succeeds in school will remain there, earning a chance at a better job and a better life in the years ahead. A child who lacks early exposure to reading often suffers from low self-esteem, struggles academically, and is at higher risk for substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and delinquency. Succeeding begins with reading.

Children with literacy problems typically come from low-income families, have no books at home, and have caregivers who are not aware of the importance of reading to their children. Yet studies have proven, beyond dispute, that access to age-appropriate books and reading aloud to children are essential to developing language and reading skills.

Page Ahead was founded in 1990 as "Books for Kids" by individuals from the Seattle Chamber of Commerce's "Leadership Tomorrow" program. This team of volunteers developed the concept and raised money to hire a coordinator to operate the program. Books for Kids established its own office in October, 1994. The name was changed to Page Ahead in 2001.

Since 1990 Page Ahead has placed over 2 million new books into the hands of 605,000 at-risk children through collaborations with schools, social service agencies, preschools, and early childhood centers across Washington State.