Caitlin Clark Teams Up with Scholastic to Support Children’s Literacy

Caitlin Clark is expanding the libraries of children.

The Caitlin Clark Foundation announced on Wednesday, Jan. 22, that Scholastic donated  22,000 new books to the WNBA star’s charitable foundation in collaboration with Scholastic’s national literacy program, the United States of Readers. The program, which launched in September 2021, is “dedicated to bridging the gap of literacy and book inequity” for students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade who attend under-resourced schools across the country, according to Scholastic.

The new donation was made in an effort “to create awareness and measurable impact of early age reading access in under-resourced schools through the United States of Readers and other programs,” a news release explains.

The 22,000 books are expected to cover a range of reading levels and school ages, including elementary and middle schools. They will also be distributed to children’s hospitals and other non-profit organizations, with a special focus on students in Clark’s home state, Iowa, per USA Today.

“Reading and education have always been hugely important in my life. I remember picking out the books from the Scholastic flyer and how empowering that was for me as a child, and how motivated I was to read,” Clark, 23, said in the news release.

“I want to help kids have the same experience, to develop their reading skills and open their imaginations to dream big,” she continued. “I am thrilled that my foundation will support reading as Literacy Champions by collaborating with Scholastic and the United States of Readers.”

Chief Impact Officer at Scholastic Judy Newman also noted “Caitlin is a proven role model, and we are thrilled to work together with the Caitlin Clark Foundation to make reading more accessible to kids everywhere.”

Reading and literacy have been on a decline due to the increase in screen time and the COVID-19 pandemic’s reliance on screens for school and work. Per Scholastic’s 2022 Kids & Family Reading Report, children between the ages of six and 17 who read five to seven days a week declined by 9%, from 37% in 2010 to 28% in 2022.

Additionally, the Reading is Fundamental organization reported in 2022 that 34% of children entering kindergarten “lack the basic language skills needed to learn how to read” and 67% of fourth graders read at or below the basic level.

The National Literacy Institute reported in the 2022-23 study that 40% of U.S. students cannot read at a basic level.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The United States of Readers program has seen an increase in literacy, motivation and self-confidence in the participating 65,000 students nationwide, Newman reported.

Working with Clark will create “champion-level advocacy and support” to help “make radical moves and inspire meaningful improvement to change the trajectory of child literacy rates in America.”

Source people.com