Eat.Learn.Play., the foundation established by three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, Stephen Curry, and entrepreneur, host, and The New York Times bestselling author, Ayesha Curry is tackling literacy with its latest initiative. The organization officially announced the launch of their Eat. Learn. Play. Little Town Libraries, which is nested under the Foundation’s LEARN pillar.
“In communities across the United States, including our hometown of Oakland, literacy levels have been at a crisis level for years,” says Chris Helfrich, President and CEO of Eat. Learn. Play. “The pandemic made this problem significantly worse. Children of color have been disproportionately affected. So, there’s an urgency to get kids reading at grade level, and making great, culturally relevant books easily accessible to kids is an essential part of the solution.”
Eat. Learn. Play. will construct and maintain 150 Little Town Libraries with the hopes of encouraging a love of reading in Oakland. The program is a partnership with three Oakland-based non-profits and trusted Eat. Learn. Play. partners, the Oakland Literacy Coalition, the Black Cultural Zone, and the Oakland Public Library. Each organization will oversee 50 libraries, helping select, coordinate, and equip ambassadors for each library.
“Reading is a crucial building block to academic success and unlocking lifelong opportunities, which is why we’ve made early literacy the focus of our LEARN pillar,” says Stephen and Ayesha Curry. “We want to encourage kids to read by making it accessible, fun and inspirational. We hope that these free, book-sharing libraries will help plant the seeds needed to continue growing a culture of literacy for the next generation in Oakland."
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a sector of the U.S. Department of Education, 84 percent of Black students lack proficiency in mathematics and 85 percent of Black students lack proficiency in reading skills. And as a result of the pandemic, kids across the country have had challenges coping with distance learning and interruptions in their academics. These hurdles have disproportionately impacted children and have intensified a major issue—literacy.
“It’s critical that we encourage a love of reading in children at a very young age so that it becomes a fundamental building block of their lives,” Stephen and Ayesha tell EBONY.
“Growing up, many of us can probably remember the sense of accomplishment when we read our first book in school, or completed a summer reading challenge for a pizza party. But, what’s disheartening is the fact that so many kids out there simply don’t have the opportunity to grab a book and immerse themselves in stories and adventures," continued the cofounders. "We hope that these Little Town Libraries serve as a reminder that imagination is everywhere and when you’re a kid in Oakland, it’s just a block away,.”
Nationwide, only one in three kids are reading at grade level by the end of third grade. Eat. Learn. Play. foundation notes that in Oakland, after more than two years of distance learning, only 15.4 percent of Black and 12.5 percent of Latinx elementary school students are reading at grade level.
“Eat.Learn.Play. is placing the majority of these 150 Little Town Libraries throughout Oakland neighborhoods where most residents are Black and Brown,” Helfrich says of the foundation’s plan to combat the frustrating statistics. “For all Oakland children to be able to have these beautiful libraries nearby—filled with culturally-relevant books where they can see themselves in the characters—can be a game-changer. Reading, literacy and all it brings is a powerful thing, which is why we’re hyper-focused on this issue. Through the passion of reading we have come together to show the importance and positive impact it can make on others. These gifts from Stephen and Ayesha Curry will hopefully only further inspire and motivate kids to become great readers, and the best version of themselves.”
