Barclays employee reads to elementary school children.

Girls Prep Lower East Side students will enjoy brand new stories thanks to a donation of more than 2,000 new books, part of a 30,000 nationwide book donation made possible by a partnership between First Book and Barclays, the major global financial services provider. In celebration of the donation, 25 Barclays employees visited first graders today to read their brand new books with them.

The Girls Prep first graders each received two books of their own including a special first-edition copy of Bunny Money, a children's book written by Rosemary Wells to address financial literacy and learning for children, co-branded by the First Book Marketplace and Barclays. The school will receive the additional books for its library and classrooms.

"Thanks to Barclays, First Book can reach children with brand new books that will help them learn for life," said First Book President and CEO, Kyle Zimmer. "Access to books shouldn't be a luxury for a child and we are grateful for Barclays continued dedication to furthering financial literacy with this special edition which makes lessons on spending and saving accessible to all children."

The statistics on access to books highlight the need to significantly increase the availability of books in low-income neighborhoods. According to Susan B. Neuman in the Handbook of Early Literacy Research, while there is an average of 13 books for every child in middle income neighborhoods, there is only one book for every 300 children in low-income neighborhoods. First Book’s system of large-scale book donations grants unprecedented access to programs serving children in low-income households, making book ownership a reality.

"Reading and literacy are a primary focus in our curriculum model," commented Miriam Lewis Raccah, founder of Girls Prep schools, and CEO of Public Prep. "Reading and being read to are so critical for our girls. Thanks to Barclays and First Book for choosing Girls Prep for the read aloud and generous donation - we are so appreciative."

"Barclays is delighted to be able to make this donation of books possible with First Book," said Michal Katz, a Managing Director at Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of Barclays, and a member of the Public Prep Board. "As a parent, I know first hand the importance and impact of reading to your children and am grateful to my colleagues for taking time to read to the students of Girls Prep."

Barclays has a proud tradition of supporting and investing in the communities where they do business and adopts a three-fold philosophy, propelled by its employees: to bank on brighter futures, to look after local communities and to support charity at work.

About First Book
First Book provides new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy - access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 65 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities. First Book now has offices in the U.S. and Canada. For more information about the nonprofit First Book please visit www.firstbook.org.

About Girls Prep Lower East Side
Girls Prep Lower East Side was the first all-girls charter school in New York City, and is a part of the Public Prep network of charter schools. The mission of Girls Prep is to prepare New York City's girls to graduate from college and succeed in life. Girls Prep students will embody the core values of scholarship, merit, responsibility and sisterhood and use these values to guide their choices. Girls Prep will graduate scholars who meet or exceed New York State Performance Standards and are active citizens who learn and serve in their communities. In 2009, 100% of our 3rd and 4th graders scored advanced or proficient on the state Math & Science exams, and 98% of 3rd graders and 92% of 4th graders scored advanced or proficient on the state ELA exam - making Girls Prep LES the second highest scoring charter school in NYC.

About Public Prep
Public Prep is a network of college-preparatory charter schools committed to scholarship, merit, citizenship and responsibility. We equip our students with critical-thinking skills and a strong character, preparing them to pursue their passions and achieve academic excellence with enthusiasm and integrity. Public Prep currently comprises three schools - Girls Prep Lower East Side, which serves 235 students in grades K-4 and is the first public all-girls charter elementary school in New York; and Girls Prep Middle School, which serves 25 students in grade 5; and Girls Prep Bronx, which serves 132 students in grades K-1. Both the Middle School and Girls Prep Bronx will grow one grade per year and serve grades 5-8 and K-5 respectively. We also plan to open Boys Prep in 2011. For more information about Public Prep and our schools, please visit www.publicprep.org.

About Barclays
Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services, with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs over 140,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for over 49 million customers and clients worldwide. For further information about Barclays, please visit www.barclays.com.

First Book

First Book

More from First Book