Books for Kids is a Greater Mankato Area United Way program designed to instill the joy of reading in children by providing free books and parenting resources to families in our region. Since 1997, this program has helped build children’s home libraries, encourage literacy skills, and foster school readiness. Our longtime partner Capstone Publishing donates thousands of books every other month, which United Way distributes via mail to children ages 2 months through 4 years, 11 months. Through this program, United Way also provides hundreds of books via community outreach events such as Project Community Connect and Mankato Area Public Schools Early Childhood Screening program. In 2023, Books for Kids provided nearly 30,000 books to regional children.
Parents may sign up their children for the program at any time; any child between 2 months and 4 years, 11 months can participate if they live within United Way’s service area of Blue Earth, Nicollet, Le Sueur, or Waseca counties, or if a parent works in Mankato/North Mankato.
Thank you to our sponsor Capstone, as well as in-kind supporters City of North Mankato, Kato Moving & Storage, American Solutions for Business, Corporate Graphics International, and The Occasions Group.
Special thank you to CenterPoint Energy Foundation for their generous literacy grant of $10,000! This grant allowed us to send an additional Books for Kids mailing in 2024.
2024 Delivery Months:
- January
- February
- March
- June
- August
- October
- December
2025 Delivery Months:
- January
- February
- March
- April
- June
- July
- September
- November
HOW IT WORKS
Books and newsletters are mailed to children of all backgrounds and income levels via USPS.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Books have the power to change a child’s life. Reading at an early age is proven to increase school readiness by developing literacy skills, language patterns, attention spans, and creativity.
As a child grows, reading becomes increasingly important for understanding the world and achieving academic success. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading aloud to children daily, beginning in infancy. Reading aloud not only builds children’s language and pre-literacy skills, but also exposes them to new ideas; builds their social, emotional, and problem-solving skills; strengthens parent-child relationships; and inspires them to be lifelong learners. Plus, reading is fun!
Research shows the importance of reading, but many children do not have access to age-appropriate books or transportation to regularly visit local libraries. Poverty remains high in our region, affecting families with young children. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children from low-income families have fewer literacy resources within the home and are less likely to be read to regularly than their higher-income peers. The Books for Kids program puts books directly into a child’s hands, regardless of income level.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
WHO QUALIFIES
Children ages 2 months through 4 years
Service Area
Blue Earth, Le Sueur, Nicollet and Waseca counties
Frequency
Book mailed every other month
Cost
FREE!
Source:
*MN Compass (Wilder Foundation), 2012-2016.
**American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement: “Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice.” August 2014. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/06/19/peds.201….
As part of the Books for Kids program, families also receive the monthly First Steps and Early Learning Digest newsletters.
Parents may sign up their children for the program at any time; any child between 2 months and 4 years, 11 months can participate if they live within United Way’s service area of Blue Earth, Nicollet, Le Sueur, or Waseca counties, or if a parent works in Mankato/North Mankato.
For address changes, please contact our office at MankatoUW@mankatounitedway.org or 507-345-4551.
Please include in the following information:
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Your name
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Your child's name
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Month/year of birth
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Updated mailing address