More Than 10 Million Books Donated to Children In Need Through ClassroomsCare Program Since 2001

NEW YORK, N.Y. – This Fall, students in classrooms across the country are once again being challenged to read to help kids in need. By participating in Scholastic Book Clubs’ ClassroomsCare program, a philanthropy-based literacy campaign designed to teach children about the joys and importance of reading and giving, students are helping others while they help themselves – and learning how important it is to read everyday to lead a better life.

This school year, the ClassroomsCare theme is “United States of Reading.” With the help of teachers nationwide, Scholastic Book Clubs is challenging students to read 10 books per student per classroom triggering a donation of one million books to kids in need from Scholastic Book Clubs. To get the books to children who need them, ClassroomsCare partners with major charities that play a key role. Reach Out and Read® provides books to the nation’s youngest children via pediatricians who work at clinics and in hospitals, and helps parents make books part of their children’s daily lives. Save the Children® reaches children in rural areas who may not have the resources or access to books they need. And this year ClassroomsCare is adding a new partner, The Pajama Program, a non-profit that helps distribute books and pajamas to children in more than thirty states, from preschool through teen. With each program Scholastic carefully selects books that are age-appropriate and engaging for the recipient.

Since 2001, Scholastic Book Clubs’ ClassroomsCare literacy program has put more than 10 million books in the hands of kids who might otherwise not have access to books. Resources on the ClassroomsCare website, along with posts on the Scholastic Book Clubs Facebook page and Book Talk blog, will provide teachers with news, tips, activities, quizzes and chance to engage with peers in every state.

“I smile every time I hear about a school where, through their generosity and hard work, students are making a difference and improving the lives of others by participating in ClassroomsCare,” said Judy Newman, President of Scholastic Book Clubs. “In order to better prepare the children of the 21st Century to live complete and successful lives, we need to energize them to read more books, and read everyday. And showing children that their hard work pays off and they can make a difference in the lives of others is motivating and important as they grow up. Through ClassroomsCare, students aren't just reading, they're reading to give."

Classrooms keep track of books read on a poster, student bookmarks and online, and then tell Scholastic when they’ve finished. Any books kids read in the classroom, with their parents or on their own count toward the goal. Teachers also can use lesson plans and activities available at http://classroomscare.scholastic.com to incorporate this program into their curriculum.

The numbers tell the story – since 2001:

29,845,600* - kids have read for ClassroomsCare
10,250,000 - books have been donated to charities through ClassroomsCare
1,218,785 - classrooms have participated in ClassroomsCare
125,291,522 - total books have been read because of ClassroomsCare

*The number of kids who have read for ClassroomsCare was calculated by multiplying the number of participating classrooms by 25.

The ClassroomsCare literacy campaign is open to classrooms nationwide through Scholastic Book Clubs catalogues and the Scholastic web site. Teachers can log onto the ClassroomsCare website to keep track of their class’s progress as well as their state’s progress. Students, teachers and parents are invited to go onto the site to see how the reading is making a difference.

For over 60 years, Scholastic Book Clubs have provided monthly catalogues offering top quality books and reading materials from all publishers to teachers in pre-school through junior high. Scholastic Book Clubs reach over one million teachers each month, providing the most sought-after titles at affordable prices for children in classrooms nationwide. The ClassroomsCare campaign is available to teachers and classrooms who participate in Scholastic Book Clubs: Firefly® Book Club for preschoolers; Seesaw® Book Club for kindergarten and grade 1; Lucky® Book Club for grades 2-3; Arrow® Book Club for grades 4-6; and TAB® Book Club for grades 7 and up. Scholastic Book Clubs is a division of Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company.

For more information about Scholastic or ClassroomsCare, visit our Media Room at http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.

Contacts:
Susan Salzman Raab
sraab@raabassociates.com

Tyler Reed, Scholastic
212-343-6427
treed@scholastic.com