Ossining Schools Receive $5,000 Grant for Books

First Book, a nonprofit based in Washington, has awarded the Ossining School District a $5,000 grant to purchase books.

The money is in the form of a credit to the First Book Marketplace. The district is using the money to buy books it will hand out to children this summer to help prevent “summer slide.” Students often lose some reading and other academic skills during the long break.

“We never cease to be amazed by the work members like you are doing in your communities,” First Book wrote to the district in announcing the $5,000 grant.

Ossining is using the money “to continue to saturate our community with books” for children at all levels, said Nancy de la Cruz-Arroyo, the district's director of bilingual, English as a new language and funded programs.

“The books are going to help them continue to engage in reading throughout the summer and are really going to promote our goal of reading volume,” she said.

First Book, which was founded in 1992, has distributed more than 185 million books and educational resources valued at more than $1.5 billion. The organization serves an average of five million children every year in needy communities around the world.

First Book provides new and high-quality books to its network of more than 423,000 teachers, librarians, after-school program leaders and others who serve children in need.