First Book launches the largest Scaling Plan in our history!

The good news starts here?— First Book achieves major milestones!

First Book has met and surpassed some major milestones?— and we are shouting them from the rooftops:

• We have distributed a whopping 250 million books and educational resources with a retail value of more than $2 billion.
• We now have 600,000 members in the First Book Network, representing educators, practitioners, and others who support kids ages 0-18 in low-income communities across the country!
• Through those 600,000 members, First Book now serves more than 6.5 million children every year?— removing barriers to learning with best-in-class books, art supplies, learning through play resources, basic need items, eBooks, school supplies, professional development resources for members, and more!

These milestones are thrilling?— but they are not enough! Educational inequities have undermined our nation's prosperity for decades, and the pandemic created new chasms of educational disparities. We cannot afford to lose a generation of children, nor can we afford the related societal and financial costs to the nation's healthcare and justice systems and GDP. Our nation's ability to innovate and prosper in this complex, rapidly changing world is directly linked to our ability to provide every child with a high quality education.

That's why we're sharing this major announcement!

First Book launches scaling plan to reach all 27 million low-income kids across the U.S.?— and add 1 million new members to the First Book Network

First Book is launching a scaling plan to quadruple the number of children we serve – from 6.5 million kids annually – to reaching all of the estimated 27 million kids growing up in low-income neighborhoods across the U.S. within five years.

This scaling plan represents a groundbreaking movement, powered by the collective knowledge of those working with children in poverty and First Book’s proven ability to turn that knowledge into action for systemic change.

Central to accomplishing this goal will be adding 1 million new members to the First Book Network:? the teachers, volunteers, and practitioners supporting our nation’s underserved children in schools, libraries, museums, health clinics, food banks, faith communities, pre- and after-school programs, laundromats, childcare settings, and more! ??

To support this community, First Book is on a high-trajectory growth curve. We are investing in technology, strategically applying AI to boost our operations and increase member support, increasing our marketing to reach those who are serving our nation’s kids in need, and expanding our research, inventory and resource development capacities.

At scale, First Book will:

• Enable the unprecedented, powerful community of 1.6 million adults in the First Book Network to exert market power and influence product design and delivery on behalf of every child in need;

• Inform the broader field through First Book Research & Insights and a continuous improvement process that enables the First Book Network to report what is working, what is not, and what is needed to support more equitable educational opportunities for children;
• Launch new partnerships and initiatives that benefit fellow nonprofits and address common barriers through collective action;
• Fuel collaboration among researchers, subject matter experts, and millions of adults serving low-income children; and
• Achieve 100% self-sufficiency - up from 50% today - ensuring permanent access to quality resources and supports among children in need.

Our scaling plan is ambitious – and achievable. It’s also critical to the future of our nation and our world. We are meeting and reaching out to corporate partners, individual donors, and the broader philanthropic community to request support. I would welcome your suggestions regarding who might join us to further educational opportunities for children and youth across the U.S.

With gratitude,

Kyle

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