Submitted by O’Reilly Auto Parts and Child Care Action Council
When you’re focused on paying rent and putting food on the table, buying books can take a backseat to your children’s daily needs. That’s where the Child Care Action Council of Thurston County (CCAC) comes in, with programs that get books into the hands of disadvantaged children so they can start learning early. The organization is getting a financial boost, thanks to a grant from the O’Reilly Automotive Foundation, Inc., the philanthropy arm of O’Reilly Auto Parts.
“Studies prove that children from lower incomes typically start elementary school behind their more economically advanced peers,” said Gary Burris, executive director of CCAC. “We know that 90% of a child’s brain development occurs in the first five years of life, so it’s critical that all children have access to early learning programs to develop a solid foundation.”
The grant money will be used to provide books for the Raising a Reader program in Grays Harbor County. The program collaborates with families of children in child care settings for a book borrowing program. Additionally, the CCAC partners with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to send free books monthly to children’s homes in Thurston County.
“We hope this gift will inspire a love of learning for children who receive these books,” said Julie Gray, president of O’Reilly Automotive Foundation, Inc. “We support CCAC’s goals to ensure that children participating in these programs begin Kindergarten with skills including reading motivation, letter knowledge and age-appropriate vocabularies.”
CCAC’s grant is part of a year-end round of giving for the O’Reilly Foundation, which awarded $1 million across 35 nonprofits nationwide. It’s the largest distribution of funds from the foundation since its founding in 2020.
If you’d like to help CCAC by volunteering your time or by making a donation, visit the Child Care Action Council website.
