Literacy Program
Since 2010 The Urban Scholastic Center has distributed more than 32,000 books to urban children in the Kansas City, Kansas community.
In the US, the typical middle-class child enters first grade with 1,000-1,700 hours of picture book reading time; a low-income child averages just 25 hours.
In middle class neighborhoods there are about thirteen book titles for every child.
By contrast, in neighborhoods of lower socioeconomic status, there is only one book title for every 300 children. -Susan Neuman, Changing the Odds for Children at Risk, 2009
Children with as few as 25 books in the family household completed on average two more years of schooling than children raised in homes without any books.- M.D.R. Evans, Jonathan Kelley, Joanna Sikorac and Donald J. Treimand, Family scholarly culture and educational success, June 2010
Having access to books helps increase literacy, that’s why The Urban Scholastic Center puts an emphasis on reading and we distribute thousands of books to urban children throughout the year.
Ways you can help. (1) Put quality books into the hands of under-resourced children, click here to support this ministry. Contact Fatir Birmingham for more information. (2) Work with students in a local elementary school (3) Serve with students in our after school program (Life Enrichment). Email the USC at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call (913) 281-9828, to learn how you can to become engaged in the lives of urban children.
If you would like to work directly with children please complete and mail the Volunteer Application to The USC.
