In their teaching, they had witnessed the growing disparity in reading ability and enjoyment between those who had grown up with books and stories and those who had not. They noticed that this disparity generally fell along income lines. Their observations were backed by research showing that children who had not been read to in their early years might enter kindergarten up to two and half years behind their peers, and that the gap might never be closed. Beginning with Books was developed in an effort to change this picture by offering low-income parents the books, information, and encouragement they need to successfully embark on daily home storybook reading. Beginning with Books is a non-profit affiliate of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
All programs operate in partnership with other organizations that serve low-income families.
Programs modeled after Beginning with Books exist in many libraries today. Book Buddies promotes strong community involvement using a cost-effective program to meet the educational needs of children in the primary grades. EIR is a daily, 20-minute, small group supplemental reading program taught by the classroom teacher to a group of five to seven struggling readers. The goal of the program is to have students become confident and independent readers. EIR began in Minnesota, but is now implemented in schools across the country.