SC first graders receive free books to encourage reading [Video]

SIOUX CITY — Anahi Gileta loves to read new books, especially when there is an audience.

When she’s at home, the Hunt A+ Arts Elementary School first-grader makes a crowd out of her four cats and four dogs.

“My dogs and cats like it when I read to them,” Anahi said, checking out the bagful of free books she and other members of Jacqueline Kennedy’s first-grade class received Wednesday morning. The books were given to Iowa first-graders, courtesy of the Iowa Department of Education as part of the Title 1 family engagement program.

Title 1 is a program which works to provide all students with high-quality education to try and close any achievement gaps, Kennedy explained.

“Following COVID, we noticed some discrepancies in reading, especially when it came to phonetics,” she said. “Sending our students home with books will encourage family engagement in learning when they’re not in class.”