When children become lifelong readers, they become empowered for life.

OUr vision

That all children can see positive reflections of themselves in books and that each child has access to books that inform and inspire them about the richness of Black History which is American History.

Studies show that a child growing up in a home containing at least 80 books, creates huge benefits, such as building vocabulary, increasing comprehension and overall better educational outcomes. Always Reading envisions that each child, especially African-Americans and other children of color have an abundance of diverse books in the home. It should come as no surprise that children from low-income households have fewer books in the home and oftentimes fewer books in the school.

In order for us to realize this vision of racial equity, we distribute a carefully curated selection of free books.  Our goal is to get as many free books - that expose and empower our children to a world that they may not otherwise know or understand - into the hands of children who need books the most - as humanly possible.

“Always Reading has provided students and families at Running Brook Elementary with the opportunity to build personal home libraries with self-selected culturally relevant books.   The opportunity of owning brand new, current, and popular books has created an environment of excitement and enthusiasm about reading in our building.  The joy of reading is evident when you see students sharing and talking about their books from the Always Reading bookshelf while walking down the hallway.   Thank you Always Reading for helping our families grow together through reading ! “

Liz Shaffer/Support Teacher/Running Brook Elementary