We believe in a world in which all children live their brightest and most empowered lives. This has never been more important, when what it looks like to go back to school this August is drastically different than years prior. Today, we invite you to get to know two of our philanthropic partners making a difference in children's education. 

Ripple Reads helps families have regular, honest conversations about race through their monthly book club (launching in September). By providing a grant to launch the Ripple Reads Scholarship Fund, we are helping get age-appropriate books, discussion guides, and activities about race to 350 children living at or below the poverty line. The goal? A future where all children are educated and empowered to stand up for justice. 

Why is this particularly important as we head back to school?  

Typically, schools don't do a great job talking about race and racial justice, particularly at the elementary school level. But we know from data and anecdotes that children of all backgrounds are being exposed racial bullying, stereotyping, and joking as early as first grade. Ripple Reads helps parents educate their children to recognize why this is a problem and, most importantly, helps parents empower their children to stand up for justice. With COVID-19, Ripple Reads also provides parents with a turnkey at-home curriculum to supplement their kids' virtual learning of topics like history, social and emotional learning, and literacy. 

What is the first piece of advice you give to parents wanting to discuss race with their children?  

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. So many parents are afraid they'll say the wrong thing, but silence is worse. Start the conversation, admit the things you don't know, learn together. In doing this, you'll also show your children the value of having a growth mindset and doing hard, important things even before you're completely ready.  

This year, we were honored to provide a grant to Literacy First, who provides daily, one-to-one literacy tutoring for around 1,600 K-2 students in Central Texas each year. They focus on low income schools, closing the early experience gaps by helping build foundational reading skills. This grant will help strategically grow their program in more school districts and support leadership stipends for second year tutors from  Americorps. Read more from Veronica, a Literacy First second year tutor and leader, below. 

What has been your most gratifying experience as a tutor? 

All the moments where I saw growth and improvement, and especially when the students saw it too, were the most gratifying experiences as a tutor. Watching kindergarteners go from learning letter sounds to reading full syllables in a single lesson, going over entire passages with a first grader who could barely read a sentence at the beginning of the year, watching second graders pass their words per minute goal right after they said "there's no way I can read that much", and watching the shock and pride on their face once they realized they actually did reach it. Moments like those were definitely the most rewarding, because even though the data might show that I've done a good job and each child is improving, the best part is seeing that the students know they are improving and realizing that after practicing, they are able to do things on their own that they couldn't do before. 

How can we all support literacy in our own communities? 

There are various ways to support literacy in our communities. Voting for representatives who are willing to allocate funding to public schools would help teachers and librarians get more books and supplies for their students. Any kind of investment in education will go a long way in increasing literacy rates in local communities. There are so many great organizations that aim to support literacy in local communities. For instance, Literacy First has worked with Book Spring the past few years, and their goal is to provide books for children all over Austin so that they have reading materials at home and are able to practice their reading during school holidays or whenever they do not have access to their school library. Inside Books Project is another great organization that sends free books to incarcerated individuals throughout Texas. Donating your time, money, or books to organizations like these, as well as Literacy First, is a great way to support literacy in your own community.  

Let’s do good together! You can help support children’s education by hosting a Kendra Gives Back event in-store or online (or both!). 20% of the proceeds will support the cause or people you care about. You can also shop our Literacy Charm, where 50% of the proceeds from every purchase will support First Book, a nonprofit that provides brand-new books and resources to the kids who need them most. For every Literacy charm sold, Kendra Scott will donate one book to a child in need via First Book.