Lakewood Head Start kids get new books with Molina Foundation grant

Students in the Head Start program at Tillicum Elementary School in Lakewood have 1,100 new books, thanks to a grant from the Molina Foundation.

The donation to the preschoolers is aimed at both an in-school program and a home visit program, which delivers books to families at home. The goal, according to Molina, is to help kids build home libraries.

“The earlier we can get books into the hands of our students, the better the results in the classroom,” Tillicum Principal Jeff Miller said in a news release. “They’ll be that much better prepared for kindergarten.”

Head Start is a federal program that provides preschool education, health, nutrition and parent involvement services to low-income families. Early Head Start is a federally funded home visit program that serves low-income pregnant women and children up to age 3.

The Molina Foundation is a national nonprofit organization focused on reducing disparities in access to education and health.

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Lakewood Head Start kids get new books with Molina Foundation grant."