While studies show that fewer than half of American adults read a print newspaper, 100% of elementary students in the Chehalis School District are reading one every month.
Since the start of the 2025-26 school year, monthly editions of Kid Scoop News have made their way to the desks of Chehalis K-5 students, thanks to a partnership between The Chronicle and Chehalis-born philanthropist Jim Lintott.
In Lintott’s namesake elementary school, James W. Lintott Elementary, and in Orin Smith Elementary, more than 1,200 students are learning media literacy and general age-appropriate education thanks to the program.
The age-appropriate educational newspaper is designed to encourage reading, curiosity and family learning. Each issue includes news stories, science content, puzzles and classroom activities which teachers may incorporate into lessons. For example, after her death in October, the December edition of Kid Scoop News featured a spread on Jane Goodall and her work studying chimpanzees.
“We are very excited about our partnership with Kid Scoop News,” Assistant Superintendent Trisha Smith said. “It is distributed monthly to all of our K-5 elementary students through our classrooms. Our only request of the teachers was to make sure it goes home with every child. It is a fantastic family engagement resource.”
Many teachers do much more with the monthly editions prior to sending them home with students, Smith said. Earlier this year, administrators took Lintott, Chronicle owners Chad and Coralee Taylor, and Kid Scoop News founder Vicki Whiting on a tour through the schools to observe lessons incorporating the newspaper.
“Each lesson focused on grade-level skills and they were collaborative and engaging. It was fun to see the newspaper serving students across grade levels,” Smith said.
During the tour, students in third-grade teacher Maria Dahlin’s room asked, “Is Kid Scoop News social media?” Then, students worked with Whiting and other members of the tour to design two pages for the April edition of Kid Scoop News which incorporate the question.
“I think this really shows how creative and willing Mrs. Dahlin is with regards to using Kid Scoop News powerfully with her students,” Whiting said. “Following the gracious visit organized by Trisha Smith and her team, we sent 2,000 Kid Scoop News pencils as a small token of appreciation.”
Kid Scoop News is a nonprofit educational publication designed specifically for elementary readers. The monthly print publication is delivered to 150,000 students by participating news associations, newspapers and philanthropists across the country, according to the organization’s website.
The program also aims to address a broader literacy challenge facing students nationwide. National research shows that 40% of students across the country cannot read at a basic level, while the number rises to about 70% among low-income fourth grade students.
By placing engaging reading material directly in classrooms and homes, Kid Scoop News hopes to help build strong literacy habits early.
“We are fortunate to have a friend of the school district like Mr. Lintott supporting our classrooms and students in so many ways,” Smith said.
The program will continue into the 2026-2027 school year.
