Expanding programming for sixth grade students in Nebraska City schools and continuing to fund an endowment for the future are just some of the goals of the EDGE Nebraska City program.

EDGE Nebraska City founder Stacie Higgins spoke at the Nebraska City Rotary Club July 24 about the program that began as an idea at her kitchen table in 2017.

Thought of by many as “that book program,” EDGE Nebraska City has several programs that help serve the needs of children from infancy through sixth grade, including Early EDGE for infants and toddlers, Kindergarten Ready for preschool graduates, Super Citizens for upper elementary students, and the program’s flagship, Readers EDGE and the Book Besties, who visit classrooms monthly from preschool to second grade to read to students and do an activity with them.

Students then receive a copy of the book they heard read, with the goal of building a personal library for that child as he or she moves through the primary grades.

Higgins said the program distributes 428 books a month to students in Nebraska City, and the program reached a milestone this past May of 20,000 total books distributed in the program’s history.

Higgins has set EDGE Nebraska City on a path to reduce generational poverty in Nebraska City by 2036. She said Nebraska City has about 16 percent of its population at or below the poverty level, which is slightly higher than the statewide average of 11 percent.

Follow EDGE Nebraska City on Facebook or visit edgenebraskacity.com for more information about the program.

Read the original article here.