Dearest Teachers,

The Appalachian Literacy Initiative is a fully accredited 501c3. Our mission is to put books in students’ hands. We know that the number one predictor of student success is the ability to read by fourth grade level at the end of fourth grade, and the more books’ students have, the better they read. Yet, nationwide, 61% of low-income students don’t own any age-appropriate books at all.

Four times a year (September, late October, January, and March) you will receive a free set of books. These are yours to keep forever for your classroom. When they arrive, please let your students examine the books, then have each student decide which one he/she would like to have a copy of. Email us the book title and number needed per grade level. If you are looking for specific books to use in your classroom, please email us the titles and number of copies you would like – we will do our best to get those to you!

That’s it! There aren’t any tricks. Our only requests are 1.) Please let the students choose freely, without any regard to genre, Lexile level, or any other thing. Research shows that when children chose their own books, they are five times more likely to read the entire book and twice as able to comprehend it. Student choice is a huge component of our program! 2.) Please send us school’s test scores and end of the year evaluations. We always welcome any sort of feedback, questions, or comments! 3.) Spread the word and follow us on social media! The more people know about our program, the more books we can give.

We are looking forward to another great year! Sending our very best,
Kimberly Bradley and Tracy Griffith
Founders, ALI

Applications are closed for the 2024-2025 school year*