CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Two Chesapeake preschools, the Primrose School of Edinburgh Commons and the Primrose School of Cahoon Commons, celebrated Read Across America Day by donating books to the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, or CHKD.
The donation was made possible through Primrose’s “Og’s Bountiful Book Drive,” which collects new or gently used books and distributes them to those in need. In total, the schools donated 147 books to CHKD.
Primrose Schools says the donation is also an effort to “help combat the growing literacy crisis in America.” In a release, a spokesperson for the school shared, "34% of children entering kindergarten lack the basic skills need to learn how to read.”
Dr. Maria Shaheen, the senior director of early childhood education for Primrose Schools, stressed the importance of reading at a young age.
“The value of reading to, and with, children really can’t be overstated,” said Shaheen. “Reading is the key to so many foundational skills and lessons, from the earliest development of language to understanding the perspective of people who are different from you.”
