More books for more students: Dallas ISD expands its creative book vending machine program to more locations.
Dallas, Texas – Dallas ISD is extending its book vending machine project in a creative way to encourage literacy, hoping to inspire a lifetime passion of reading in students. Beginning in the 2024–2025 academic year, these unusual vending machines—which deliver books instead of snacks—will be found at almost 60 sites around the district, with 27 new installations anticipated by the end of September 2024.
Initiated in 2022 in association with the Dallas Education Foundation, the initiative started in just three schools but rapidly shown to have the ability to change reading habits and improve home libraries.
“Book vending machines are an innovative approach to spark a love of literacy and bring books into our students’ homes,” said Emily Davis, Development and Grants Manager for DEF. “Instead of snacks, candy, and drinks, the vending machine houses engaging, age-appropriate, and culturally relevant books.”
The program enhances critical literacy abilities including comprehension, vocabulary, phonics, and writing in addition to motivating reading outside of classroom hours. Research confirm that a child’s literacy development depends much on reading at home.
Executive director of Accelerating Campus Excellence, Damien Stovall, underlined the need of creating a reading-centric culture in educational environments.
“The machines help to create a culture of literacy in our schools. We know to close the reading gaps; students must read more,” he said. “However, we have to make it fun and engaging. The book machine creates a joyful space and pushes our students to work to attain the reward. They get to have the books and the more they have, the more they want.”
Dallas ISD Library Services and Early Learning divisions carefully choose the books that line the vending machines to reflect a wide range of languages, cultures, and subjects of interest. Every machine has three hundred books so that any learner may pick one they actually enjoy.
School staff members give tokens for the vending machines as prizes for good behavior—even to honor student birthdays. This approach guarantees that getting a book seems like a unique accomplishment, therefore inspiring kids to interact with reading as a joyful hobby.
“Their faces light up as they see the books in the machine,” Davis said, stressing the delight and excitement kids have when choosing a new book to bring home. By means of a closer involvement with reading, this personal connection to the books they chose transforms it into a beloved habit of everyday life.
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The program promises not only to improve educational results but also to inspire in students a lifetime enthusiasm of reading, so enhancing their academic and personal development.
