A new reading program strives to put books in the hands of first grades

Dirigo Reads is a new program that strives to get books in the hands of first graders.

With help from Machias Savings Bank, Dirigo Reads hopes to put a new book in the hands of every first grader in the state for every month of the school year by 2025.

The Rose M. Gaffney School in Machias is one of six schools taking part in the program during its first year.

Their October book delivery was today.

The co-founder of the program, Dan Cashman, says first grade is a critical point for kids to continue developing their ability to read.

"This is the age where it's really beneficial to provide kids with brand new books and to be able to do it every month of the school year as they're in first grade is tremendous so when they finish first grade, they end up with a home library of ten books," says Cashman.

For more information on the program, you can visit Dirigoreads.org.