To improve success in school, deliver literacy where it’s needed

Today, April 16, is National Bookmobile Day, a perfect time to be more aware of our community’s critical need for literacy services, especially among the underserved youth along the Waianae Coast, who are visited year-round by Hawaii Literacy’s Bookmobile.

From Hawaii Literacy’s past annual surveys, we know that about 22 percent of the children served have absolutely no books in their homes, and 55 percent have less than 10 books among all members of the households. At least 15 percent of Hawaii Literacy’s Bookmobile’s clientele were homeless for at least part of the year, and 73 percent live in transitional or public housing and 97 percent of the children using the Bookmobile live in poverty.

Of the children who visit the Bookmobile, almost half are read to less than once a week at home, and one-third are rarely or never read to. A conservative estimate from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy is that one out of every four adults on the Leeward Coast area is not able to read or write at a functional level. Hundreds of children we serve come from families where no one has completed high school.

With so many families lacking a home environment that nurtures learning, Hawaii Literacy’s Bookmobile serves a crucial role by providing not only access to books, but also to technology, help with homework, caring staff and volunteers and a place where reading and learning is encouraged.

Hawaii Literacy’s Bookmobile regularly visits 13 sites, focusing on family homeless shelters (like Paiolu), transitional housing developments (such as Kahikolu and Maililand), mental health facilities, and Boys & Girls Clubs. Each destination has a large high-need population without access to adequate library and educational resources. Each week, hundreds of children line up to borrow the books of their choice, enjoy story time, use new and donated Kindles, participate in high-quality educational activities and receive a healthy snack and take-home activities.

Annually, the Bookmobile serves more than 2,000 children and loans 12,000 books — all free of charge — through the generosity of local sponsors and donors such as Hawaiian Electric Co., Pizza Hut Literacy Foundation, James & Abigail Campbell Family Foundation and Friends of Hawaii Charities, among many other community-minded donors.

Hawaii Literacy’s mission is to help people gain knowledge and skills by providing literacy and lifelong learning services. In addition to the Bookmobile, the agency also offers one-on-one adult literacy tutoring, family libraries located in Kuhio Park and Mayor Wright Homes, and an English language learners program.

Like the Bookmobile, all of Hawaii Literacy’s programs are designed and located to best serve communities with the greatest and often unmet literacy needs — even delivering services to residents’ doorstep — and to empower those ready to overcome the lifelong barriers created by illiteracy.

On National Bookmobile Day, we urge our friends and neighbors to commit to acting to help end this cycle of poverty and under-education and support efforts to bring books, mentors and consistent, high-quality literacy-building activities to children in need.

Improved literacy and learning are among the surest "cures" for increasing future high school graduation rates and providing greater educational and economic opportunity for disadvantaged youth.