Florida’s Free Home Literacy Program offers parents the opportunity to receive books delivered to their homes for children attending school in Florida, from VPK to 5th grade. (The New Worlds reading initiative is a free home literacy program in Florida.) The goal of the program is to help striving readers strengthen their literacy skills, build reading confidence, and foster a lifelong love of reading. Each school year, eligible children receive free books tailored to their interests. They also receive resources and activities for caregivers and children to use together.
Students’ eligibility includes those in a Florida VPK program who are not yet making age-appropriate progress. It also includes those attending kindergarten through 5th grade in a Florida public district-sponsored charter school and who are not yet reading at grade level.
New Worlds Reading helps. After enrollment, families will receive all materials for their child’s current school year. Once a student is enrolled, they remain enrolled through fifth grade. Caregivers do not need to reapply for the program every year.
When accessing the website Program Application – New Worlds Reading and New Worlds Reading application, families can select their preferred language (English, Spanish, or Haitian Creole). Students can also receive books in Braille. With approximately 18 questions, many parents can use drop-down menus to complete the application, which typically takes around 5 minutes.
Books and interactive guides are delivered monthly from October through June. Enrolled students will receive nine books and reading guides per school year, regardless of the month in which they become eligible. As a result, some students will receive shipments with more than one book, along with the accompanying resources. This ensures that nine books arrive for that school year.
0
