Molina Healthcare and the Molina Foundation Team Up to Donate 40,000 New Books
10/21/2015
More than 35 schools and community-based organizations across Washington received brand new books for the children and families they serve. The Molina Foundation partnered with Molina Healthcare and World Vision to distribute approximately 40,000 brand new children books. These books will be used to create word-rich environments where children and families spend time, with a special focus on building home libraries for families.
Health and education are inextricably linked. The reality for children growing up in low-income communities is that books and other educational or health resources are scarce. In some of the lowest-income neighborhoods in the country, there is only one book available for every 300 children. Compounding lack of access to books, studies show that children from low-income families have heard 30 million fewer words than their upper income counterparts by the time they reach kindergarten – creating a significant disparity at such a young age. The Molina Foundation’s book distribution program, Book Buddies, helps ensure all children have access to the resources and tools they need to be literate and healthy adults.
About The Molina Foundation
The Molina Foundation (www.molinafoundation.org) is a national nonprofit organization focused on reducing disparities in access to education and health. Since its inception in 2004, The Molina Foundation has worked hand-in-hand with more than 1,500 organizations and schools towards this end, donating more than 3 million books to low-income and at-risk children and families. The Molina Foundation’s signature program, Book Buddies, makes grants of new books to Title I schools and nonprofit organizations serving children from low-income families. The Molina Foundation is headquartered in Long Beach, California.