St. Louis, MO (June 4, 2025) – Unleashing Potential (UP) announced it received 1,801 books in support of literacy in its after school and early childhood education (ECE) programs from Books for STL Kids. This contribution will help empower over 600 children (ages 6 weeks – 13 years old) from under resourced communities in St. Louis City with more opportunities to engage in reading and storytelling.
School readiness, and ultimately a child’s academic success, are greatly impacted by access to and the quality of education. Children exposed to high quality learning environments, including access to books and reading, are more likely to exhibit superior language, greater cognitive and social skills and better relationships with classmates.
“This book donation mean so much to our programming, particularly for our after-school scholars.” Said Darlene Sowell, President and CEO of Unleashing Potential. “Books for STL Kids stepped in and provided three brand-new books for each student in our After School care, impacting over 500 students in After School alone.” “By providing a love of reading, we are helping our children read at a proficient rate, leading to increased learning in all subjects.”
UP’s goal is to establish opportunities for children and youth that leads to long-term social-emotional and academic success. UP provides tuition relief to our licensed and dually accredited, evidence-based ECE and Out-of-School Time programming, on-site occupational/physical therapies for children with special needs, access to technology and STREAM (science, tech, reading, engineering, arts, math) activities, and social-emotional support to help children and their families focus on learning.
Books for STL Kids has enriched learning for UP children and youth since 2019. UP is proud of the achievements of its students, the engagement of families, and support from partners, like Books for STL Kids.
About Unleashing Potential
Unleashing Potential (UP) is one of St. Louis’ oldest nonprofits enriching the lives of children (founded originally as Neighborhood Houses in 1913). The mission of Unleashing Potential is to close the opportunity gap for children and youth by building on their strengths. A United Way agency since 1955, Unleashing Potential creates educational and empowering experiences through early childhood education, after school programs, youth development and enrichment camps. For more information about Unleashing Potential visit, https://upstl.org.
About Books for STL Kids
Books For STL Kids provides a critical resource to children in need. By providing children with books they can take home and keep, Books For STL Kids targets the only variable that correlates significantly with reading scores … the number of books located in the home. Books for STL Kids has distributed more than 220,000 books since its beginnings, to more than 160 existing literacy programs. For more Information visit https://www.booksforstlkids.org/
Unleashing Potential Media Contact:
Name: Verletta Cole
Email: vcole@upstl.org
Phone: 314-561-3337
Books for STL Kids Media Contact:
Name: Heather Winsby
Email: info@booksforstlkids.org
Phone: (314) 650-2028
