LANSING, Mich. — FOX 47 says YES to helping give children the opportunity to read.
In conjunction with the Scripps Howard Foundation’s Give a Kid a Book Campaign, FOX 47 delivered over 900 books to Gier Park Elementary School on Friday, February 8. The delivery was originally scheduled for January 23, National Reading Day, but as Vice President/GM Gary Baxter says “Mother Nature had other ideas. The weather over the past couple of weeks has been crazy, but we’re glad to finally be able to make our delivery.”
Baxter goes on to say, “Reading at an early age is critical for all of our children”. A significant marker for educational success occurs when most children are only 8-9 years old when schools administer third-grade reading proficiency tests. How well a child reads at the end of third grade can affect the rest of their education.
Rebecca Stephens, Principal of Gier Park Elementary School, says “What we know to be true for elementary students is that introducing them to reading and literacy early on tends to support success all through school, and foster a life-long love of learning and reading.” Through third grade, students are learning to read. Beginning in fourth grade, students are reading to learn – using their reading skills to gain information, solve problems and think critically. A child who can’t read at grade level by third grade is four times less likely to graduate from high school.
This year, Scripps Howard Foundation’s Give a Kid a Book Campaign raised over $220,000 in their TV stations across the country with FOX 47 in Lansing, Michigan, ranking as the number 4 station for employee participation.
FOX 47 is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company.
About Scripps
The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) serves audiences and businesses through a growing portfolio of local and national media brands. With 36 television stations, Scripps is one of the nation’s largest independent TV station owners. Scripps runs a collection of national journalism and content businesses, including Newsy, the next-generation national news network; podcast industry leader Stitcher; the fast-growing national broadcast networks Bounce, Grit, Escape and Laff; and Triton, the global leader in digital audio technology and measurement services. Scripps produces original programming including “Pickler & Ben,” runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and is the longtime steward of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, “Give light and the people will find their own way.”
