First Book Club 165 began in 2016 with the tutoring ministry at Lawrenceville First Baptist Church. This ministry served students who attend schools in the Lawrenceville community. Some of these students live in economically-disadvantaged areas, and many who attended the tutoring program did not have consistent access to books.   

 

First Book Club 165 formed through conversations with area school principals regarding this need for literacy in the local community. University research shows that children in economically-disadvantaged communities experience a sharp decrease in their reading levels during the summer months. This decrease is sometimes called "Summer Slide." Every summer, low-income youth lose two to three months in reading while their higher-income peers make slight gains.  These reading losses add up.  By fifth grade, summer learning loss can leave low-income students 2.5-3 years behind their peers.* First Book Club 165 fills in the summer gap by providing several books to all children in our target schools each May. 

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First Book Club 165 currently partners with the following schools: Jenkins Elementary School, Lawrenceville Elementary School, Winn Holt Elementary School, and Oakland Meadow School.