TOBF
The Open Book Foundation
ABOUT
“No skill is more crucial to the future of a child, or to a democratic and prosperous society, than literacy.”
The Open Book Foundation was created with a simple mission: "Bridge the literacy gap amongst low-income elementary schools". We accomplish this mission by purchasing and donating new books to Title I elementary schools and community organizations with a literacy emphasis.
A Dream turned into reality:
In 2011, our Founders Carvent Webb II, and Yameen Thomas met in Charlotte, NC and had a simple dream of doing something impactful for their community. Both having backgrounds centered around education they decided to focus on a specific area, and one they both felt was the most important "literacy". Yameen being a Charlotte, NC native and Carvent's introduction to literacy and its impact formulating in Charlotte, it was a instant connection.
The biggest challenge for most educators is resources. Carvent and Yameen saw this as an opportunity. Working together while Carvent lived and worked in Kuwait the two decided they would focus on providing literacy resources to teachers.
As our founder stated "If providing free books to elementary teachers eliminated just one obstacle for our students, its worth it".
It was with that mindset, and fortitude that TOBF was born. Since our launch we have donated over 100,000 new books to elementary schools across the country!
Why Literacy? Why Not Literacy!
Twenty-six percent of children who were read to three or four times in the last week by a family member recognized all letters of the alphabet. This is compared to 14 percent of children who were read to less frequently.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics children who were read to frequently are also more likely to:
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count to 20, or higher than those who were not (60% vs. 44%)
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write their own names (54% vs. 40%)
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read or pretend to read (77% vs. 57%)
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The more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency, according to the Educational Testing Service.
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The Educational Testing Services reported that students who do more reading at home are better readers and have higher math scores; however, students read less for fun as they get older.
Our Staff
Founder/CEO
Rocky Mount, NC native Carvent Webb II believes two things are certain 1. Literacy proficiency is the fundamental key to a child's in and outside the classroom; and 2. Equity in education is paramount in the 21st Century classroom. As a former educator and graduate of Fayetteville State University, Carvent prides himself as being a leader in education advocacy.
Jessica Randolph
Director, Digital Content Development
Yameen Thomas
Co-Founder and Charlotte, NC native brings a passion forward purpose to the foundations mission.
