After-School Programs |
Literacy Programs |
Special Projects |
My First Library
Originally established by South Carolina Future Minds in 2016, the My First Library program aims to reach kindergarten students and improve their chances of succeeding in school. Studies show that the “Summer Slide” accounts for as much as 85% of the reading achievement gap between lower income students and their middle-and upper-income peers. Meanwhile, the positive effects of summer learning programs like My First Library endure for years.
A study by Clemson University and literacy specialist Dr. Richard Allington showed an overwhelming 92% of kids say they are more likely to finish a book they picked out themselves. Focusing on schools identified by the South Carolina Department of Education as high poverty, the My First Library “Book Fairs” are held in the late spring so students can choose their own books to take home over the summer. Each Kindergartner who will be entering the first grade the next school year is invited to participate and pick out ten books.
Thanks to sponsors like Bojangles’, the Carolina Panthers, and The Longleaf Fund, children across South Carolina are encouraged to foster a love of reading while being provided the opportunity to build in home libraries.
Interested in bringing the My First Library program to your school?
Complete the form below to receive more information about this literacy program for May 2025.
Applications will be available and circulated in Fall 2024.
Raz-Kids
Ensuring students have access to the resources they need for advancement is critical to their success. As we know, students who don’t learn to read by the third or fourth grade quickly get left behind. So, we are working with targeted rural schools in making online literacy programs available to kindergarten through third grade students.
166,045
Books Read
Though our partnerships with underserved rural school districts, we provide yearlong subscriptions to Raz-Kids to allow teachers, students and parents access to leveled e-books from any computer, tablet or smartphone. The program provides eQuizzes that test comprehension and offer teachers data-driven, real-time reports so they can customize instruction to each student’s individual progress. And we’re implementing read-along literacy programs and donating books in elementary schools where they are most needed.
Help Steer Kindergarten Students Down the Road to Reading Success Through a South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicle Book Drive to Benefit the Original Six Foundation
This event gives new meaning to the phrase “Book Drive!”
When South Carolina residents visit the SC Department of Motor Vehicles throughout the month of March to take a driving test or to get a Real ID, they can make a real difference by donating a new early reader book to kindergarten students through the Original Six (O6) Foundation’s O6 My First Library program.
The Original Six Foundation is teaming up with over 35 public schools to provide South Carolina’s highest-need students with at-home libraries through a series of O6 My First Library book fairs that will be held statewide throughout the month of May. The books collected during the SCDMV Book Drive will be given to students during the book fairs.
A Clemson University study found that 92% of kids say they are more likely to finish a book they picked out themselves. Students participating in the O6 My First Library program are invited to select 10 books from a diverse offering during the book fairs. Targeting resources at this stage of development is critical to a child’s academic success.
Studies show that students who do not read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma than proficient readers. Poverty compounds the problem: students who have lived in poverty are three times more likely to drop out or fail to graduate high school on time than their more affluent peers.
Use the QR code on the flyer or visit this link for a list of books that schools have requested for their students. You can drop off the books at any of the 66 DMV locations statewide, or order the books online. The Original Six Foundation will post pictures from the book fair stops on social media channels so you can see the reaction when students pick out their books.
Thank you for helping be the vehicle that drives children toward a lifelong love of reading and learning.