At Lowell Elementary School in Sioux Falls South Dakota, students got an extraordinary gift from the nearby First Lutheran Church—opportunity. Pastor Jeff Backer, who leads the congregation at First Lutheran, wanted to give the students something of value that serves a purpose in these difficult times, and the Inchy the Bookworm Book Vending Machine was exactly that.

Help from Inchy

Throughout the pandemic one of the largest concerns for school districts across the country are students falling behind, specifically in their reading abilities. Parents and guardians have had the tall task of working to provide for their families through this difficult time, on top of being their children’s teacher. This is where Inchy comes into play.

Photo- Sioux Falls School District 

Book Ownership

The book vending machine has been a perfect supplemental tool for schools across the country throughout this hard time—providing children of all ages the opportunity to dig into a new book that they can call their own. As discussed in previous blogs, book ownership, especially in the home, is a key factor in the literacy rates of children and young adults. The more exposure children have to all different types of literature, the more likely they are to read—volume is key.

Gift of Literacy

Inchy provides students the gift of a book to call their own, not rented or borrowed, but something that they have and can turn to when they want to. That choice is important to young readers, because most of what they complete in school is assigned and not at their will to choose, so the reward of reading by choice has shown to be effective for students across the country, and especially students at Lowell Elementary School.

Assistant Principal Bryan Conner is thrilled with the gift from First Lutheran and sees this as a great tool to aid in each student’s progress. “We wanted to come up with a way for kids to be able to honor one another and recognize one another for something that we have called a ‘golden moment,” Conner said.

A Golden Moment

The golden moment Assistant Principal Conner is referring to is the PBIS rewards program. Inchy the Bookworm Book vending machines do not take cash or credit cards, the currency used for each machine is a golden coin specifically made for each school. At Lowell Elementary, students are rewarded with a golden coin for a golden moment in which they showed exemplary empathy, help, or compassion for another student, teacher, or faculty member.

“It’s in those golden moments—that we’ve called them, where we want to recognize them and give them the opportunity to be able to select a book,” Conner said.

Bring PBIS Rewards and Inchy to Your School

If you are interested in having an Inchy the Bookworm Book Vending machine in your school or district, we can help you learn more about the PBIS rewards program and the customization options for your Inchy. With any questions, feel free to give us a call, or leave your information here and we will contact you with more information on how we can bring a book vending machine to your school.