Valerie Foushee

02/03/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/03/2026 13:57

Reps. Foushee, Adams Introduce Empowering Young Readers Act to Uplift Childhood Literacy

WASHINGTON, DC (February 3, 2026) - Today, Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04) and Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12), introduced the Empowering Young Readers Act of 2026, legislation to create a pilot program that awards grants to nonprofit organizations supporting early childhood literacy programs.

"Our community organizations know how to reach families and engage young learners in ways that spark a love for reading. By empowering these trusted nonprofits with resources to put books directly into children's hands, we're creating pathways to literacy that work for real families in our communities," said Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04). "We know children with books at home have better educational outcomes.Building a nation of readers starts with our youngest learners, and this pilot program will help get books into the hands of children who need them most."

"Reading opens doors to students, broadening their minds, fostering their creativity, advancing their educations, and growing their futures," said Congresswoman Adams. "The Empowering Young Readers Act will help expand book access to children, improve literacy rates, and ensure people from all backgrounds have the resources they need to read. I'm proud to introduce this bill alongside Rep. Foushee because a well-read young mind guides students to a bright future."

Specifically, the Empowering Young Readers Act of 2026 will:

  • Authorize the Secretary of Education to establish a $10 million, 2-year grant pilot program for eligible nonprofits to purchase, distribute, donate, and deliver books to students.

  • Allows eligible nonprofits to host book fairs, reading hours, book drives, and story times, in addition to other activities that the Secretary of Education determines to be appropriate.

  • Requires the Secretary of Education to submit a report to Congress on the activities carried out by awardees and the impact these activities had on literacy rates.

The Empowering Young Readers Act of 2026 is endorsed by Book Harvest and First Book.

"This matters: access to books is access to opportunity. When children own books from birth, we don't just put stories in their hands-we put possibilities within their reach. The Empowering Young Readers Act of 2026 recognizes that abundant access to books helps build the foundations of literacy for a lifetime. This legislation will help ensure that no child's potential is limited by a lack of access to the tools they need to become confident, curious, proficient readers" said Ginger Young, Founder and CEO of Book Harvest.

"This legislation places the most essential power tool - books - into the hands of millions of kids across our country - books that will inspire a generation, build a literate workforce, and support prosperous communities and engaged citizens. Providing access to beautiful books of all kinds fuels the development of academic skills and lights the path for children's futures - and ours. This will benefit us now and for generations to come," said Kyle Zimmer, the Co-Founder and CEO of First Book.

The full bill text is available here.

Valerie Foushee published this content on February 03, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 03, 2026 at 19:57 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]