Mark your calendars for a week of fun with books, giveaways, and activities of all kinds: next week is Celebrate Reading Week!
There will be many engaging opportunities for children of all ages to go “Bananas About Books” at locations across the city next week. All of the activities lead up to the big Family Reading Day on Saturday, March 8 at the Main Library downtown, where families can receive free books, free lunch, meet authors and book characters, participate in a variety of workshops, and join in the Book Character Parade!
Team READ USA is excited to join a number of literacy partners for Celebrate Reading Week, including Kids Hope Alliance, Mayor Deegan’s River City Readers, the City of Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Public Library, the Early Learning Coalition of Duval, READ JAX (the local grade-level reading campaign), and the Library Foundation of Jacksonville. Together, we want to make this year’s Celebrate Reading Week the best and most impactful one yet!
Photos from last year's Family Reading Day event at the Main Library downtown.
Check out the full list of events HERE that are happening across the city during Celebrate Reading Week from Monday, March 3 – Saturday, March 8!
We look forward to sharing photos from the many READ USA activities taking place next week!
March 3: READ USA Early Literacy for Parents Workshop
One of the activities kicking off Celebrate Reading Week next week is a free READ USA Early Literacy “Things Parents Need to Know” Workshop on Monday, March 3 from 4-5 p.m. at Charles Webb Wesconnett Regional Library.
Feel free to download/share this flyer with anyone you know!
Led by Judy Howard, M.Ed., our READ USA Michael Ward & Jennifer Glock Literacy Institute Senior Director, the literacy workshop will help parents get their child started on the road to success with reading – because it’s never too early to start!
Part of the Jacksonville Public Library’s Life Lab series, the one-hour workshop will offer free hands-on activities, resources, and food, and give parents useful tools and information to help their students at home with early literacy skills.
Registration is required, and space is limited to 25 seats, so register HERE today! (And share this with any parents you think could benefit from this workshop!)
Mentorship Transforming Lives through Take Stock in Children
Last week, team READ USA was invited to exhibit at the Take Stock in Children Family Dinner & Expo. And while it was a great opportunity to meet local teenagers and let them know about Workforce Development opportunities through READ USA Literacy Tutoring, we walked away inspired by all that these teens continue to accomplish!
We were thankful to be invited to join the Family Dinner and hear about the incredible mentorship that’s impacting middle school, high school, and college-aged teenagers through Take Stock in Children of Duval, powered by Goodwill Industries of North Florida. Over the past 25+ years, students participating in Take Stock in Children of Duval achieved a 99% high-school graduation rate and an 80% college enrollment rate. The opportunities available through Take Stock in Children of Duval are truly helping students pursue their dreams – exactly what we at READ USA are facilitating as well!
Thank you to Goodwill Industries of North Florida for the opportunity to join you and meet your wonderful teens and mentors! We hope that some of the teens we met will apply to join Team READ USA as a tutor!
It’s Never Too Early to Start: Career Day at Garden City Elementary!
Our team had a blast participating in Career Day at Garden City Elementary School last week. When it comes to dreaming big and bold, it’s never too early to start, right?!
“Students in third, fourth, and fifth grade came in with an idea of what they wanted to do when they grow up,” shared our Chief Tutoring Officer Tabetha Cox, who then presented to students about careers where reading and writing would be important – which, as she stated very clearly, is every career!
“Some kids wanted to be singers, others wanted to play football or sports, or do cosmetology,” she added. “Every career is connected to literacy – singers write lyrics, sports stars study playbooks, and cosmetologists must read manuals and understand trends. They could see how, no matter what they dream of in their future, reading and writing are important to anything they want to accomplish.”
Students could collect trinkets and connect with people who matched their career interests – and for those kids who hadn’t yet thought about a particular career or interest, it was an opportunity to get them started on thinking along these lines.
Thank you to Garden City Elementary School Principal Elisha Carr and 4th-grade teacher Katrina Rock – who is also a READ USA Specialist in our Literacy Tutoring program – for the invitation for READ USA to participate! We were thrilled to see so many READ USA friends and partners present as well, including the U.S. Navy, Baptist Health, VyStar Credit Union, STEM2 Hub, and others!
“Real Men Read” at Rutledge Pearson Elementary
Sometimes, simply setting an example can make a lasting impression on a child. We hope that was the case last week at Rutledge Pearson Elementary School when a large group of fathers, grandfathers, and male volunteers met up to read aloud in classrooms across all grades!
The students loved it – but we really believe it was the adults who had even more fun!
Our fabulous hosts at Rutledge Pearson cooked a generous breakfast for the volunteers (what a fun and delicious surprise!) before we all gathered in the Media Center – right next to Rutledge Pearson’s really cool STEM lab – to pick out our books. Each volunteer was assigned to a classroom, and our Chief Communications Officer Joe Wolf had the opportunity to visit Ms. Frazier’s kindergarten classroom to read The Couch Potato by Jory John and Pete Oswald.
“It’s always a fun yet impactful time to read aloud to a classroom, ask questions about the book, and just talk with the students about what they learned and saw in the book,” shared Joe. “And the book was an excellent choice – every kid can identify with wanting to just sit on the couch and relax but also get out and enjoy the great outdoors, be active, and play. Sometimes it was hard to move from page to page – they all wanted to engage and share so much! It was definitely a highlight of the week!”
Thank you to Principal Katie Adkins for inviting READ USA to participate in this fabulous event every year! And to the wonderful team at Rutledge Pearson Elementary for the warm welcome and hot breakfast!
Are You a People-Person? Join Team READ USA!
If you – or anyone you know – is looking for a new opportunity, it’s a great time to join Team READ USA!
Through funding from the AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program, READ USA is offering a one-year, full-time service opportunity as a Volunteer Recruitment Associate. This opportunity will give practical work experience to an individual while adding capacity to READ USA and helping us continue to scale and grow our programming and volunteer engagement efforts.
Our wonderful volunteers are vital to our mission and work
Share this email if you know an adult who:
The Volunteer Recruitment Associate will work alongside READ USA leadership to create, implement, and evaluate volunteer recruitment strategies. Measured over four phases during the year-long service opportunity, the Volunteer Recruitment Associate will essentially create a handbook for READ USA to use in perpetuity to strengthen our volunteer engagement.
Interested in learning more? Access the service opportunity description, read the program benefits (end-of-service stipend or education award, living allowance, etc.) and apply directly through VISTA here.
Thank you to AmeriCorps VISTA for this fantastic opportunity to help READ USA continue to grow our impact!
Children’s Book: Brains! Not Just a Zombie Snack by Stacy McAnulty
Illustrated by Matthew Rivera
This book is funny and filled with facts! Our narrator is a zombie who has committed to not eating brains. She says, “Brains are 78% water, 100% delicious!”
With illustrations that appeal to young readers, this nonfiction text is full of diagrams, facts, and a new way to learn about the organ that does it all from a surprising perspective. The main character teaches all about the things a brain can do—besides being the best snack for zombies, of course!
Submitted by Tabetha Cox, READ USA Chief Tutoring Officer
Parent Education Corner: Play is Essential to Learning!
Playing with others is where learning takes flight! Through play, children – especially very young children – learn essential skills, regulation, and bonding. Through imaginative play, children practice storytelling, role-play, and problem solving. Children have the freedom to explore, and play supports the child’s social and intellectual development. Not only is development encouraged but play also increases the child’s vocabulary and language skills. When children play, they are motivated and engaged, and this fuels their growth.
There are two types of play for young children:
Adult-initiated or adult-guided play is structured. This includes play such as: duck, duck, goose; sing-alongs; and other such games.
Another type of play is child-initiated play. This type of play is seen when children initiate their own fantasy play, such as running around a playground with friends, playing in the backyard or their room on their own, or pretending to be a pirate with their siblings.
A balance of both of these two types of interaction is most effective for young children.
Submitted by Tabetha Cox, READ USA Chief Tutoring Officer
Do you have any questions or ideas for the Parent Education Corner? Anything you’d like to learn? Let us know here!