Learning A-Z®, a Cambium Learning Group company, announces today its continued collaboration with UNICEF Kid Power® to carry on the Learning A-Z Donation Challenge. This challenge enables students to apply social-emotional learning (SEL) concepts learned in the classroom by giving back to communities in need.
From February 28 to March 25, Learning A-Z students will be able to donate the stars they earn by reading books, taking quizzes, and completing assignments in Learning A-Z's online platforms, to provide healthy meals and clean water to those in need across the globe through UNICEF Kid Power. The classroom that donates the most stars will win the opportunity to co-author a book with Learning A-Z that will be shared with platform users around the world and an audience of over 12 million students and teachers.
"On average, students and classrooms that participate in the Donation Challenge read more than three times as many books as non participating students," said Lisa O'Masta, president of Learning A-Z. "The ability to make a real-world impact through intentional donation allows students to embody empathy and social awareness, two qualities that are at the forefront of social-emotional learning. We're thrilled to be collaborating with UNICEF Kid Power again to bring genuine impact both to the classrooms we serve and communities around the world."
Participating students will earn stars by engaging in literacy-building activities such as reading books or taking quizzes using the following Learning A-Z online instructional resources: Raz-Plus®, Raz-Kids®, Headsprout®, Science A-Z®, Vocabulary A-Z®, and Writing A-Z®. Students can convert the stars they've earned into virtual coins to help families without adequate access to food and clean water.
The 2021 collaboration between Learning A-Z and UNICEF Kid Power proved to be a huge success. Students made a total of 386,570 donations through the contribution of almost 3.3 billion stars, the highest number donated to date. The donations, funded by Learning A-Z, provided 255,395 meals to families across the United States and 1.62 million days of clean water to communities around the globe through UNICEF Kid Power.
"The Learning A-Z donation challenges in collaboration with UNICEF Kid Power have reaffirmed how truly amazing children are, and how much they want to advocate for others in the world," said Wendy Zachrisen, Senior Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at UNICEF Kid Power. "Through this challenge, children convert their compassion into action by unlocking real-world impact for families in need. Teachers have shared what a positive impact participating in past Learning A-Z donation challenges has had on their students, who felt so proud and empowered by what they had accomplished."
The February/March Donation Challenge will be the first of two in 2022, with the second to follow this fall. To learn more about the donation drive, please visit the Learning A-Z Donation Challenge.
