Unfortunately, school libraries are increasingly targeted for budget cuts. Overall, school library budgets have fallen since 2009. And cutbacks tend to be more severe at schools serving high-poverty areas. Local and state officials must make literacy programs a high priority in budget plans and strategies.

Against this backdrop, programs like Target’s can help schools overcome difficult fiscal times – and get students reading during those critical early years.

In each school selected for a library makeover, Target has also partnered with Feeding America to create a “Meals for Minds” food pantry, which helps children concentrate and perform better in school by providing much-needed nourishment. The students also take home seven books of their own, as studies have demonstrated that reading at home has a dramatic impact on educational success.

But as much as the new libraries complement the physical classroom, the country’s education crisis won’t be solved until everyone at every level – including parents, school administrators, local, state and federal government officials, and other caring adults – recognizes that future generations deserve the resources needed to improve reading skills when it really counts.

Laysha Ward is president of community relations for Target Corporation and president of the Target Foundation.