Read a free online book today and help foster the love of reading in young children at Lucy Read Pre-Kindergarten Demonstration School in Austin, Texas.

Lucy Read is a public school that serves approximately 580 four-year-old children from three north central elementary schools in Austin. Opened in 2006, Lucy Read is the first stand-alone prekindergarten school in the Austin Independent School District and serves students who are eligible for Texas Pre-kindergarten. Students qualify for the state program by being either limited-English proficient, educationally disadvantaged, a child of an active military parent, or homeless. Many of the children in pre-kindergarten have had limited opportunities to build literacy skills and to experience the joy of listening to a good book being read aloud.

Recognizing the importance of early childhood development, Lucy Read focuses on providing a well-rounded, engaging literacy experience for its students. The school is committed to raising awareness with parents and the community about the impact of a quality early childhood education on children's language and literacy skills. The teachers and staff at Lucy Read have seen firsthand that when young children have a significant adult reading and discussing a story with them, their engagement with the story is greatly increased. This helps children to acquire a much-needed foundation for building strong literacy skills, as well as the motivation to be lifelong readers and learners.

The We Give Books campaign at Lucy Read was initiated by the Austin office of Pearson, as an opportunity to engage its staff with the local community in a meaningful and impactful way. Pearson and Lucy Read staffs are collaborating to build community awareness of the importance of reading to young children, to organize reading events at the school, and to provide students with fun adventures in the world of books.

You can participate, too, by reading a free book online in support of Lucy Read's campaign. For every book you read, We Give Books will donate one brand-new children's book to Lucy Read to help grow its classroom libraries.

To find out more about Lucy Read Pre-Kindergarten Demonstration School, visit its website.