Success By 6: Parent Lending Libraries
Through the generosity of grants and sponsorships, Parent Lending Libraries are being placed at childcare centers around Central Florida, allowing parents to conveniently borrow books to read with their children every day.
One-on-one reading encourages the early literacy skills that prepare children to enter school ready to succeed.
The first Parent Lending Library was placed in 2004 and there are now 130 libraries in Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties.
Major sponsors have included the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County, Publix Super Markets Charities, Heartland for Children, Polk County CDBG, and Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation.
Parents and children borrowed 34,981 books last year with an average of 8,407 kids having access each month during the school year!
United Way of Central Florida Success By 6 is dedicated to creating a community where all children, by the age of 6, have the mental, physical, social and emotional foundation needed to grow into healthy, productive members of the community. Success By 6 is a community-wide children’s initiative, founded in 1995 by Carol Jenkins Barnett of Publix Super Markets Charities and spearheaded by United Way of Central Florida. Publix Super Markets Charities continues to provide major support for all the Success By 6 initiatives.
Success By 6 brings resources together from private businesses, government, religious groups, educators, and health and human service organizations. Success By 6 is an initiative to make early childhood development a top priority in Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties. Success By 6 is all about literacy, sending children home with 29,989 books last year!
During the pandemic Success By 6 staff increased efforts to get books into the hands of children and caregivers through food distributions and other events across Hardee, Highlands and Polk counties. Families are being educated on the availability of Covid Relief funds, the services of 211 and Aunt Bertha to locate needed resources and especially the existence of Medicaid and Florida KidCare for continued medical coverage for their children.
To find out more about Success By 6 or how you can help, contact Jodi Miller at 863.648.1500 ext. 265 or jodi.miller@uwcf.org.
