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2025 Survey

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Changing Children's Lives With the Gift of Literacy

Changing Children's Lives With the Gift of Literacy

Imagine a young child receiving a book in the mail every month until the age of five. What better way to say reading is important? Children enrolled in the Ferst Program receive a new book every month in the mail until their 5th birthday. There is absolutely no cost (ever) to registered children in participating areas! The program is made possible through the partnership with local, all-volunteer Community Action Teams (CATs).

Ferst Readers is a 501C3 organization whose funding is provided through private donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants. Contact us to help with a local program or get a new one started in your area so that we may work together to bring the gift of literacy to every child from birth-5 years old. Partnering together, we can help prepare every child for success in school and in life.

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Watch the full length video by clicking here.

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  • For Parents

    The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children. Read More >>>
     

  • Program Overview

    Our Mission: Strengthening communities by providing quality books and literacy resources for children and their families to use at home during the earliest stages of development. Read More >>>

  • Get Involved

    Approximately 61 percent of low-income families do not have a single piece of reading material suitable for a child. Find out how you can help. Read More >>>
     

Molly Howard

“Literacy is truly the keys to the kingdom of academic and life success. By placing books in the hands of our youngest children, Ferst Readers has been instrumental in providing a foundation for future success for our children in Jefferson County. Ferst is leveling the playing field for our youngest children at a time in their lives when they are most susceptible. We see the difference it has made.”
– Molly Howard, School Superintendent, Jefferson County

Corinn S.

“Ferst Readers is a welcome resource in providing my son with a diverse collection of books with pleasant stories and captivating images. I cannot wait until he is old enough to review the discussion questions with me in the monthly newsletter, but until then, I make sure to read them and gather tips for future critical reading and reading comprehension practice. Thank you ever so much for the opportunity to be a part of this learning community. Honestly, it's hard to tell which one of us is more excited to see a new book in the mail! Keep up the good work! We are looking forward to another four years!”
- Corinn S.

Chad and Jamie N.

“The Ferst Readers has been so special to our family for many reasons. While the primary purpose is to provide books for children, the opportunity has become so much more for us. It has become a monthly tradition to check our mailbox together and find our book. I know that getting her own mail will be a fond memory for our daughter as she gets older. The anticipation of looking through each new book is sure to help instill the love of reading we want all children to develop. We want her to treasure reading and appreciate good literature.”
- Chad and Jamie N.

Debbie Thigpen

“Thank you for your work. We are so glad to be a part of this wonderful organization. I have seen firsthand homes where children (and adults) have no reading material and no one modeling reading. Even though these children are in a classroom full of books which are always available, the fact is these four-year-olds have missed a sensitive period for acquiring language and literacy and so they start out behind. Ferst goes a long way to remedy this disparity.”
—Debbie Thigpen, retired Georgia pre-K educator
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Thank you for visiting Ferst Readers!

Ensuring that children develop early literacy skills is one of the most important things we can do - as parents, as teachers - and as a society.

Won't you help us make a difference?

Adopt a reader today!   Make a Donation!