STATELINE (WIFR) -- Thousands of Stateline preschoolers are starting their school year on the right foot, thanks to United Way's Page Turner Reading Program.

Each month for the next 8 months, 3,500 children will recieve a brand new book to call their own.

Today organizers passed out "Mouse's First Day of School".

Kids got some help reading the book from local leaders, including our very own Aaron Wilson.

The goal is to make sure our kids are heading into kindergarten ready to succeed.

United Way's CEO, Paul Logli tells us, "We did testing with the schools, prior to the start of last year's program and at the conclusion of last year's program. And our goals were to get every child at 80% performace levels, and at almost every core category we were at least at 90 percent."

This is the second year United Way has partnered with Rockford and Harlem schools.