The following post is by a special guest blogger: Carla Raynor of Homewood Suites.

It’s startling to know that not all children in America are getting the best education. How can we break this cycle of poverty and crime if our children don’t have a chance to dream, to achieve, to READ?

As you have seen with the election of Barack Obama as our president, education is the key to achieving any dream, and a solid education starts with early childhood literacy skills.

Most pre-schools in low-income neighborhoods have just one book for every 300 students, and teachers often have to create or bring their own learning materials from home. This is especially shocking when compared to middle-income neighborhoods, where children enjoy a ratio of 13 books per child and often have much greater access to a library.

Our philanthropy partner, Books For Kids, a New York nonprofit, is changing that equation for at-risk preschool children. They are building libraries directly within housing projects and publicly funded day care and after school programs where low-income children reside.

Giving children the gift of education and literacy is a valuable cause that we’re extremely proud to support! This is a battle we can win together; there is no good reason why our American children should not be the best educated in the world.

With that said, I’d like you to take a moment and step back into your childhood and imagine growing up in a world without access to books. No Dr. Seuss. No Curious George. No Good Night Moon. For many children, this is their reality. So please consider making a small donation to Books For Kids today.

Joining together, we can transform an empty classroom in a head start center, a bare space in a housing project or an unused administrative room in a day care center into a beautiful, learning-rich library, with interactive reading centers, puppet play zones and Leapster interactive games. We can provide the children served by these facilities with regular exposure to new books and one-on-one reading time, regardless of their parent’s or guardian’s schedule or means.

I’d also like to spread the word that on April 25, 2011 at The Plaza Hotel in New York, Books For Kids will host their 25th Anniversary Gala, celebrating 25 years of inspiring children to discover the world of books. Patrick Daley, senior vice president & publisher of Scholastic Classroom and Library Group, will be honored along with a special keynote delivered by Susan B. Neuman, professor of educational studies of University of Michigan. We hope the event raises the additional funding needed to continue building more libraries and providing books to deserving children.

About Books For Kids

The mission of the Books For Kids Foundation is to promote literacy among all children with a special emphasis on low-income and at-risk preschool-aged children. Books For Kids creates libraries, donates books, and partners with literacy programs to develop the critical early foundation and skills which young children need to be successful in life.

There are currently 68 Books For Kids libraries, mostly in the tri-state area. But with the help of Homewood Suites, Books For Kids has gone national, opening libraries in Memphis and Washington D.C. Help open more libraries by visiting www.booksforkids.org.

Carla Raynor, Vice President, Marketing

Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton

Vice President of Marketing Carla Raynor is on the board of directors for New York City-based childhood literacy advocacy organization, Books For Kids. Through her efforts and Homewood Suites partnership with the organization, Raynor has helped open two libraries – one in Memphis, TN and the second in Washington D.C. – in addition to raising more than $200,000 for Books For Kids.