EAC, CAI & NYC Council Districts 40 (Honorable Yvette Clarke) & 42 (Honorable Charles Barron)- Black History Month Book Challenge

Education & Assistance Corporation, Community Achievers Inc. both non-profit organizations (501c3) & the Council for the City of New York, Districts 40 (Yvette Clarke) & 42 (Charles Barron) are sponsoring the first annual Black History Month book challenge. The names of the districts included in the challenge are Flatbush and East New York. This initiative hopes to stop illiteracy and foster a love for reading.

Brooklyn, NY (PRWEB) February 10, 2005 -- U.S. Department of Education statistics show that the high school dropout rate is 29% in this country; in Japan, the rate is 5% and in Russia, 2%.

Evidence indicates that the problem begins not in the schools but at home & in the community. A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education in 1985, A Nation at Risk, found that preschool children whose parents read to them are much better prepared to start school and perform significantly better in school than those who have not been exposed to reading. A National Governors' Association Task Force on Adult Literacy reported in a 1987 publication, Making America Work, that illiteracy is an inter-generational problem, following a parent-child pattern. Poor school achievement and dropping out before completing school are a commonplace among children of illiterate parents. It is our hope that we will create life long readers and reach children who are excited to seek knowledge.

Education & Assistance Corporation (eacinc.org) was established in 1969 and is an agency that provides a broad array of educational, vocational, counseling, mediation and intervention services. Their mission is to respond to human needs with programs that protect children, promote healthy families and communities, help seniors and empower individuals to take control of their lives.

Community Achievers Inc. (baiy2k.com) was established in 2002 and developed as part of Business Achievers Inc. Their mission is to continue to give back to the communities that house their businesses. Community Achievers Inc, which is a three tier organization made up of News for NYC.com, We Provide Organization, and Youth Achievers, pledge to continue providing services to the cities underserved and under represented.

New York City Council members that are involved are Councilman Charles Barron & Councilwoman Yvette Clarke. The Council monitors the operation and performance of city agencies, makes land use decisions and has sole responsibility for approving the city's budget. It also legislates on a wide range of other subjects. The Council is an equal partner with the Mayor in the governing of New York City.

Starting February 1, 2005 children between the ages of 9-12 will be asked to read as many books as they can from 2/1/05-2/28/05.

Children will also be required to receive a New York City library card. Children need not be members of a youth group however they must reside in one of the above referenced districts. They will be given incentives at selected benchmarks. The district that has the most books read by the end of the challenge will receive a party at Empire Skating Arena.

Children and their parents will be provided with and outline of our program and incentives, a suggested reading list, a reading record to track the number of books read, and reader response and summary forms.

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