Pizza Hut to expand global literacy program

Plano, TX – Pizza Hut will expand its Book It! student literacy program from 620,000 classrooms to one million by 2020, the company said in a news release.

Launched in 1984, Book It! is a reading program designed to encourage kindergarten through sixth grade students to find the joy in reading. To date, the program has reached one in five Americans by encouraging reading, Pizza Hut said.

“The mission of the BOOK IT! Program is to turn ‘have to read’ into ‘want to read’ in classrooms and living rooms across the country, and it is immensely gratifying to see BOOK IT! alumni instilling a love of reading within their own families,” said Natasha Collins, manager of social impact for Pizza Hut. “While we know there are many factors that contribute to personal success, reading and literacy are critical.”

The pizza chain announced it is developing innovative digital features that will be available to teachers and parents beginning in the 2018-19 school year. The streamlined enrolment process and interactive teacher dashboard will provide teachers with up-to-date reading progress at their fingertips and an in-classroom celebration experience. Additionally, it will be easier for parents to monitor their child’s reading progress and celebrate their success with digital award certificates delivered to their inbox.

It is an international effort. In 1984, the first year of the campaign, the program distributed more than 275,000 books and educational resources in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Costa Rica, South Africa and other countries.