First Book, the award-winning nonprofit providing new books and educational resources to children in need, announces a five-year partnership with Lockheed Martin and its corporate charitable foundation to develop and deliver digital educational resources to school and community programs. First Book and Lockheed Martin plan to reach one million children with STEM-related materials that meet national STEM standards of learning over the next five years, encouraging interest in science, technology, engineering and math by engaging these underserved children in interactive activities in the classroom, as well as through after-school and community programs.

"Lockheed Martin understands that early education is integral to the pipeline of talent we depend on for future success. The digital math and science resources they are supporting will create an unprecedented opportunity for achievement of educational parity," said Kyle Zimmer, president of First Book. "With digital access to learning and teaching resources in these areas, educators will be able to bring the world of science and math to life to create a spark of learning in countless future inventors, scientists, engineers and business leaders."

Lockheed Martin Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Stevens stated, "At Lockheed Martin, we know firsthand the importance of educating our young people in math and science. Our future success -- and our nation's technological advantage -- depend on a constant supply of highly trained, highly capable technical talent."

To coincide with National Engineers Week February 14-20, First Book and Lockheed Martin's K-12 education initiative, Engineers in the Classroom, announce the launch of www.firstbook.org/stem, a new web site offering access to dynamic science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities, educator guides and engineering career information. Schools and programs serving children in need can also choose new STEM-related books from the First Book Marketplace, www.fbmarketplace.org, the nonprofit's online store offering high-quality children's books and educational materials at deeply discounted prices.

Teaming with First Book, as part of Engineers in the Classroom, represents a unique and substantial long term commitment on the part of Lockheed Martin and its corporate charitable foundation to disadvantaged youth in the United States, providing access to math and science education resources for programs serving children and teens in need.

The support of Lockheed Martin and its corporate foundation enables First Book to provide a vibrant selection of books and digital resources to teachers and educators working in programs serving children in need. The Lockheed Martin Engineers in the Classroom grant will afford these programs permanent access to rarely available specialized STEM instructional materials and provide educational opportunities to the young people in these learning environments. During the course of this partnership, both First Book and Lockheed Martin are committed to providing digital access to math and science tools and resources to help build workforce capacity in fields critical to future success, like engineering, science and technology.

The focus of Lockheed Martin's Engineers in the Classroom initiative on STEM education as a path to a fully trained future workforce is a natural pairing with the First Book mission to raise the quality of education for children in low-income households whose lagging literacy levels limit job training and opportunities for a better future.

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 Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion. For more information, please visit www.lockheedmartin.com.

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