In Delano, third graders are gathered around their teacher, reading together. But thanks to the Kiwanis Club, each student is also getting a book of their own—helping spark a love of reading and build literacy skills.
A wave of hope rolled through local classrooms Thursday: 2,220 books given to kids in Delano Union Elementary and neighboring Tulare and Pond school districts — a simple gift with the power to mold a child's future.
But for now, student Sophie Ontiveros is using books to simply learn.
“The humble pie, at first I didn’t know what humble meant, but then, when I read the book, I understood what it meant,” said Ontiveros.
And fellow third-grader Camila Ulloa enjoys books aligned with her interests.
“I grabbed Freddie’s amazing bakery, because I like to cook,” said Ulloa.
These books weren’t given to them by the school, but rather by the Kiwanis Club of Delano.
A project five years in the making, collecting donations throughout the year and buying books to give to kids in an effort to raise literacy rates.
“Literacy is important and it starts with being able to read, and so we worked with the school district to pick the grade level thats most important,” said Kinsey. “They need to be reading by third, fourth grade, so we picked that second and third grade.”
As Kinsey said, reading is critical, and here in Kern, we put a big emphasis on literacy.
And the numbers speak for themselves, according to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, for the 2024-2025 school year, students statewide had a nearly 49% proficiency rate in English language arts. The Delano Union school district scored higher at a 50% proficiency rate.
Taking an even closer look, according to the district, all students are just 8 points away from meeting the state standard for grade-level reading.
Teacher Megan Reyna explains why third grade is a critical year for kids.
“Up until now in the grade, they were learning to read, and now we’re reading to learn, reading is everywhere, we have it in math, we have it in word problems,” said Reyna.
For these kids, the books aren’t just books, but a way to stay engaged at home and explore their imagination.
“I’m very excited to read at my house because I can read with my parents,” said student Devin Lopez.
With every book placed in a child’s hands, Delano moves one step closer to strengthening literacy for the next generation.
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