PHILADELPHIA – Today, Chief Education Officer Otis Hackney and executives from Chubb went to Southwark School to announce the company’s donation of new bilingual reading materials to kindergarten and first grade students and classrooms within Philadelphia Community Schools.

Chubb donated 1,000 copies of Book Buddies, a bilingual illustrated book featuring Sesame Street characters. These books will be distributed to all Community Schools with kindergarten and first grade classrooms, including Southwark. Each kindergarten and first grade student will also receive their own book to take home.

“We are appreciative that Chubb is making this donation of books to our school. Early literacy is the foundation for future success in learning, and providing books for our students’ home libraries is a wonderful contribution to that effort.” said Southwark School principal Andrew Lukov.

At Southwark, Rob Poliseno, Regional Executive Officer for Chubb’s Mid-Atlantic Region, read the donated book to a group of kindergarten students.

“Chubb is honored to work alongside the Mayor’s Office of Education to make a positive impact in these children’s lives,” said Poliseno. “Chubb has a rich history of philanthropy – especially in communities where our employees live and work – and we are proud participate in projects like this one. We are happy to invest in our city’s youth by promoting literacy and supporting education.”

Chubb supports Philadelphia Community Schools through donations of goods and services, financial contributions and volunteerism.

“Partnerships that support our schools are important for our students’ achievement,” said Otis Hackney, Chief Education Officer for the City of Philadelphia. “Investing in early literacy resources is vital to ensuring our students’ long-term success and a meaningful way to shape our city’s future. We appreciate this generous donation of bilingual materials, and hope that students and families enjoy building their home library together.”

Community Schools are a collaboration between the School District of Philadelphia, the City of Philadelphia, and community partners. The Mayor’s Office of Education launched the Community Schools initiative to strengthen school communities by improving access to programs, services and supports for the children and families of Philadelphia.