Literacy is not just an education issue. It is an economic, workforce, and quality of life issue. In Georgia, 68% of fourth graders do not read proficiently.* Research shows that children who can’t read proficiently by the end of third grade are more likely to experience poor health, have discipline problems, and drop out of high school. As adults, they are more likely to spend time in prison, struggle with unemployment, live in poverty, and experience poor health outcomes.
The Mayor’s Reading Club program launched in August 2022. The goal of the program is to improve the literacy skills and overall success with early reading of children and youth in Georgia cities through encouragement, support, and leadership from city mayors. The reading club is a simple concept designed to serve as a “building block” to a future Literacy Improvement Strategy Cohort to assist communities in developing and implementing a locally based literacy improvement strategy.
The program is flexible and can be delivered virtually, in-person, on-demand, year-round or at specific times and promotes partnerships and collaboration between the city, county, local nonprofits, schools, libraries, and the business community. In addition to mayors being featured readers, “guest readers” can be incorporated into to the program to promote engagement from other city elected officials, city staff, youth, and the community. The program can be expanded to incorporate a companion activity, such as art, that provides an experiential learning opportunity.
As part of the program, we have commissioned a children’s book series to teach young readers about local government. In the books Georgia Caroline and her classmates learn about their hometown of Happyville, Georgia, by visiting with and learning from city staff and elected officials about the services the city provides its residents. Books are available for purchase on Amazon. All proceeds from book sales are reinvested in the Mayor’s Reading Club Program.
Each participating city will receive a Mayor’s Reading Club starter-kit with a program implementation and resource guide, suggested book list, copies of each of the Georgia Caroline books, and a copy of the companion coloring book. As part of the program, we convene all participating mayors during the GMA Annual Convention to exchange program ideas, share best practices for successful reading programs and report on the impact of the program in their community. We also host periodic webinars that connect communities to additional resources and expertise around literacy initiatives.
If you are interested in joining the Mayor’s Reading Club, please sign up here.
Participation in the program requires that the mayor complete the registration. If another individual is completing the registration on the mayor’s behalf, that individual must have the mayor’s endorsement.
*Source: National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress.