The Goddard Schools of Lake County expand access to books for local families

The Goddard School, one of the nation’s largest early childhood education providers serving children from 6 weeks to 6 years old, is holding a book drive in Lake County focused on expanding access to books for local children and families.

Although reading is considered one of the single most important skills a child needs, 61% of low-income families have no books in their homes for their children. To help close that gap, 30 Goddard Schools across Chicagoland and Southeast Wisconsin — including the Goddard Schools of Lake County — are partnering with Bernie’s Book Bank to collect and distribute books to children for the 12th consecutive year.

The Goddard Schools of Lake County will be collecting new and gently used children’s books through Feb. 27 at the following locations:

• The Goddard School of Skokie, 9651 Gross Point Road

• The Goddard School of Deerfield, 475 Lake-Cook Road

• The Goddard School of Vernon Hills, 461 W. Townline Road

• The Goddard School of Round Lake, 1155 S Amarias Drive

• The Goddard School of Third Lake, 34638 US Route 45

• The Goddard School of Hawthorn Woods, 50 Landover Parkway

This year’s effort builds on a longstanding partnership: through past book drives and literacy initiatives, Goddard Schools have donated more than 300,000 books to children across the region. The 2026 drive aims to provide 25,000 additional books to children in need.