The Little Libraries: Addressing inequities in school readiness
Ryan Brewster, Monica De La Cruz, Janine Bruce, Lisa Chamberlain
Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics

BIG PROBLEMS
By age 3, low-income children hear 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers. Reduced literacy at kindergarten is linked with continued poor developmental outcomes, lower high school graduation rates, and contribute to the intergenerational cycle of poverty. 

OBJECTIVES
Establish sustainable system for the procurement, tracking, and distribution of books for participating Little Library clinics 2 Launch volunteer reader program through the Stanford University undergraduate student body.

Results
BOOK DONATION & DISTRIBUTION PIPELINE The Stanford Auxiliaries and Affiliates, a community service and fundraising arm of the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital (LPCH), has integrated with the volunteer program for the long-term sustainability of the Little Libraries

VOLUNTEER STORYTIME PROGRAM We have recruited a growing corps of volunteer readers from the undergraduate student population in partnership with the Haas Center of Public Service. The volunteers read with children, model best practices for parents, and serve as the direct ambassadors of the Little Libraries. 

CONCLUSIONS 
Volunteers significantly improve the Little Library space by providing educational enrichment and physical representation of the program Families are receptive to literacybased programming and actively seek out opportunities to incorporate into home environment Pediatricians are uniquely positioned to impact child development beyond immediate healthcare needs Effective community partnerships rely on maximizing individual strengths and identifying complementarity