Dear Friends,
Last week, the photos and videos started rolling in — and they brought tears to my eyes.
Though the pandemic prevented us from holding an in-person graduation ceremony for our Book Babies Class of 2020, my team and I were determined that it would NOT stop us from celebrating this milestone for our 29 graduates!
So we did what we’ve always done: we visited them at home, and we brought the celebration in a box — a big, happy box bursting with a diploma, a personal letter of congratulations from Durham Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Pascal Mubenga, lots of educational supplies and creative learning activities, and — of course — BOOKS.
Here is what happened next:
We first met these graduates when they were newborns. We have visited them and their fiercely dedicated parents for five full years, working with them to build home libraries of more than 100 books each and helping nourish their early literacy. What a privilege this work has been for us. We are SO PROUD of our graduates and their families!
These members of the Book Babies Class of 2020 start kindergarten next month. They are strong and ready. Look out, world!
With joy,
Meytal Barak, Book Babies Team Leader
P.S. You can read the press release about our graduates here.