State & Community Events: GLR Week 2025

Read On Arizona is hosted a webinar on July 31, from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. MST. 

Arizona’s Literacy Plan in Action: State and Local Strategies to Drive School Readiness and Early Literacy 

Arizona Literacy Plan 2030 outlines the key drivers, proven strategies, and actions required to improve school readiness and third-grade reading outcomes. Learn more about the plan and how partners in Read On Communities across our state are focusing on what works, including: 

• Supporting early childhood educators with coaching and training in the science of reading 

• Reducing chronic absence and boosting school attendance 

• Engaging families to support early literacy development 

• Expanding access to high-quality preschool 

Moderator: Lori Masseur, Read On Arizona 

Panelists: Dawn Gerundo, Valley of the Sun United Way, Read On Phoenix, Read On Southwest Valley; Rudy Ortiz, First Things First, Read On Yuma; Marie Raymond, City of Tempe, Read On Tempe; and Yissel Salafsky, Make Way for Books, Read On Pima County 

The Summer Spectacular will be held on Friday, July 25. It is the culminating event for AR Kids Read’s morning program that is offered free of charge to all our summer program students. This year’s theme is “Arkansas Critters,” and the event is being held in partnership with the Arkansas Game and Fish. Rising 1st through 5th grade students have been reading about the animals they will have the opportunity to see in live displays and interactions. In addition, students will have multiple literacy activities including nutrition lessons (people and animals) that include reading and executing recipe instructions, a scavenger hunt to match visual cues and text in exhibit halls, and a birding activity that matches pictures, text, and phonetic pronunciations. 

• In partnership with Altadena Library District, volunteer storytellers with Families in Schools will be reading stories to children affected by the L.A. wildfires that create comfort and joy in July and August. Children will also take home a backpack with books to keep after each Storytime. See this link for a full schedule.  

   

• Oakland Literacy Coalition in Oakland, CA held a workshop, “Building Vowel Power for Stronger Phonics Instruction” on August 6, from 10-11:30 a.m. PST to support educators and advocates about phonics instruction. Reading Specialist Celestina Lee led the session and shared about why vowels are so important for decoding. 

United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut and the Women of Tocqueville hosted a virtual panel, “Leveraging Time, Talent, and Treasure to Improve Child Literacy” on Tuesday, August 12, from 12–1 p.m. EST. Panelists, including a CGLR representative, discussed progress, challenges, and ways to support child literacy in our communities.

The State of Delaware Annual Freedom School Harambee Celebration | Wednesday, July 23, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Delaware State University – Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center, 2nd Floor, in Dover. The event featured Wilmington City Council President Earnest “Trippi” Congo as a special guest reader.

This signature event highlights the collective impact of our Freedom School and Get Delaware Reading summer programs across all three counties—initiatives designed to combat summer learning loss and ensure Delaware’s students return to school engaged, motivated, and ready to succeed. Through a literacy-centered curriculum, Freedom Schools provide children with high-quality enrichment that fosters academic achievement and personal empowerment.

Last year’s Harambee Celebration was a joyful and energizing gathering of students, families, educators, and community leaders. This year’s event celebrates the accomplishments of more than 400 participating students and the dedicated educators and staff who support them

The Florida Grade-Level Reading Campaign (FGLRC) Learning Exchange and Annual Leadership Symposium and Expo was held July 8–10. Over 130 early literacy supporters joined the event where they celebrated FGLRC’s 10th Anniversary. FGLRC is also hosting a fun challenge for summer learning providers, BookSmart Summer Bingo! By joining the Bingo Game, teachers and summer program staff will use the BookSmart app to read 24 books to students throughout June and July. They had a live drawing on Friday, August 1, and the winning program receives up to $500 in books to enrich young readers’ experiences! https://floridaglr.net/family-engagement/

Get Georgia Reading will host the following webinars: 

PAGES+ Literacy Initiative: Parents and Generations Engaging Through Stories and Language 

This presentation highlighted community-based Reading Rooms, where all families of children 0-8 — English and non-English speaking — access early literacy practices and language and vocabulary development in social spaces. This project, funded by the Deal Center for Early Language & Literacy, offers an avenue for supplementing school-based practices in support of third-grade reading proficiency for all children. Join us to learn more about Reading Rooms on Monday, July 28 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. 

Strengthening Early Literacy Practices Through Partnerships Between Child Care Providers and Elementary Schools 

By focusing on professional learning and alignment, the Early Literacy Alignment (ELA) Mini Grant aims to promote smoother transitions for children moving from prekindergarten into kindergarten. This initiative ensures that rising kindergarten students have a more consistent, effective learning experience from the start of their educational journey. In this presentation, on Wednesday, July 30 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., leaders from the Georgia Foundation for Early Care + Learning and Georgia Foundation for Public Education highlighted why it’s vital to invest in alignment of early literacy practices across the early years and early grades, an overview of the ELA Mini-Grant program, and examples of the work underway. 

Supporting Parents and Children Together: The Technical College System of Georgia’s Approach to Family Literacy 

Family literacy is a programmatic approach that enables adults and children to learn together and supports the literacy, education, and workforce needs of the whole family. This presentation, on Thursday, July 31 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., with leaders from the Technical College System of Georgia highlighted the four key components of family literacy and its systematic approach to building sustainable family literacy programs.

United Way of Greater Lafayette has a regular call to action for volunteers to support their Read to Succeed program. This ongoing opportunity places volunteers in K-5 classrooms across Tippecanoe County for at least one hour a week. Learn more about this opportunity to support young readers here.  

The Iowa Campaign for Grade-Level Reading celebrated GLR Week by producing a collection of local community strategies and programs across Iowa’s GLR communities.

Access a PDF of our collected stories here. 

On Saturday, July 26, READ Strong Prince George’s County: Strong Readers, Maryland READS’ partner in Prince George’s County, convened a literacy pilot design meeting with parents, guardians, students, reading experts, and Thomas S. Stone Elementary School. Their primary objective was to create and implement a set of scalable, repeatable, and cost-effective solutions that complement Prince George’s County Public School’s structured literacy instruction. These solutions are designed to reach at least 80% of K–3 children who require additional support, along with their families, resulting in a significant improvement in student literacy. The READ Strong Network takes a county-by-county approach to cultivate thriving reading ecosystems by galvanizing communities to support students and their families around reading. For more information, contact Pastor Clarence Crawford at [email protected]. 

From July 29– 30: Maryland Literacy Summit: The Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Initiative for Literacy and Equity are hosting an in-person summit to strengthen a shared commitment to effective and equitable literacy instruction for Maryland’s PK–12 students. The Summit is taking place at the College Park Marriott at the University of Maryland. Registration is available at this link. 

On Friday, August 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET, Maryland READS will host our monthly Virtual Happy Hour to discuss Opportunities to Support Multilingual Learners. Happy Hours are no cost professional development and networking opportunities for members of our network and the public. Each online session features discussants who are available to share their expertise and experiences related to the selected topic with members of our network. This month’s Happy Hour features Kerri Valencia, Maryland READS board member and Principal of Connected Consulting and Ana Padilla, Migrant Recruiter/Interpreter, Queen Anne’s County Public Schools. Registration is required using this link. 

Communities that are part of the Mississippi Campaign for Grade-Level Reading have or will host the following events in the month of July: 

• Deer Creek READS hosted a Racing Back to School event free for families on Tuesday, July 22, from 4:30–5:30 p.m.
• Let’s Get Ready for YOUR Adventure Health Fair on Thursday, July 17, from 1:30–6:00 p.m. CT, a free event for the community.
• The Warren County Vicksburg Public Library hosted a free traveling exhibit from the Mississippi called “Wonder of Wellness” from July 17 through September 15. On Days of Action, July 22, 24, and 29, local day care programs had field trips to the exhibit. The exhibit is open to the public from July 17 through September 15.
  
• The Hattiesburg Library Summer Reading Finale took place on Saturday, July 5, from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 
• Mississippi Early Childhood Inclusion Center in Hattiesburg hosted a free Sink or Float Science Experiment event on Tuesday, July 8, from 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 
• MSU Extension R&R July Community Event was held on Friday, July 18, from 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. with kid-friendly yoga at 10:00 a.m. 
• Hattiesburg had a Back to School Wellness and Book Giveaway event on Saturday, August 2, from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. at the Ben McNair Recreation Center.
• The Tupelo/Lee County GLR community, in partnership with the Lee County Library, hosted a Walk & Read with a portable story walk at Hancock Park every Wednesday in July.
• Tupelo/Lee County had a free Back to School Bash at the Hilldale Apartments on July 29.
• Local child care centers in Tupelo/Lee County held family nights during the last week of July.
• Tupelo/Lee County had a new child care center teacher training on Thursday, July 24, which included tips for a successful start of the school year for families with pre-K–third graders.
• LOU Reads (Oxford/Lafayette County) hosted a free story time at Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library with the LOU Reads Literacy Bus outside on Friday, July 11, from 10:30–11:30 a.m. 

Turn the Page KC and Turn the Page STL hosted a webinar on Wednesday, July 30, at 11:00 a.m. CT 

The State of Early Literacy in Missouri 

Learn about the state of literacy in Missouri from three experts in the field, Heather Knight (Literacy Coordinator with MO DESE), Deidre Anderson-Barbee (Assistant Commissioner of the Office of Childhood with MO DESE), and Dr. Robin E. Henderson (Chief Program Officer with School Smart KC). Discussion will include (1) an understanding of the progress of our Read, Lead, Exceed Initiative (SB681) and the Office of Literacy’s next steps; (2) strategies for prioritizing literacy, children birth to age 5; and (3) how we can ensure literacy for all students using the School Smart KC model.

The Hobbs Campaign for Grade-Level Reading hosted a “Laundry and Literacy Day” on Wednesday, July 30, from 11 a.m.–1:00 p.m. MT, at Wash Away Laundry. They partnered with the United Way of Lea County, Future Innovators Academy, and Hobbs Public Library. Wash Away offered free laundry during this time. The event included food for families, literacy and STEM activities, and free books with a read aloud session though the traveling little library. 

Every Person Influences Children (EPIC) began an 8-week program called Storytime at Canalside in early July that continues through August 27th. The free event on Wednesday, July 30, during GLR Week, had the theme “Who Is Your Superhero?” Learn more here. 

• This year’s Book Harvest‘s Summer Block Party was held on Saturday, July 19th from 1–4 pm. This free, outdoor event is a joyful celebration of books, summer, and community! The afternoon was action-packed, featuring fun-filled family activities and entertainment and an abundance of free, culturally inclusive children’s books for every child – from infants to high schoolers! Learn more here.  
• Wake Up and READ in Wake County, NC, is hosting a month-long guest author reading series extending into August. Join the “Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader” event where a guest author will read one of their children’s books and followed by literacy activities. Visit this link to learn more and register: Registration for “Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader” 

Read by 4th, Philadelphia’s CGLR coalition, is launching a new poster art series free for download and display to advocate for literacy. The posters, available in both English and Spanish, highlight important policy issues impacting young learners and are a call to action. Download the posters here on Read by 4th’s website.

Todos a Leer Coalition in Puerto Rico hosted an onboarding event earlier this month for sector leaders as a part of a new phase of their work. As the team enters their third year of collaboration, they are shifting toward a sector-based strategy that reflects the coalition’s core approach with advocacy, networks, data, and capacity building. The onboarding event brought together 30+ leaders from different sectors to align and mobilize around shared goals. Since the event, all participants have convened additional meetings within their sector to develop annual work plans connected with the coalition’s logic model. Todos a Leer Coalition celebrates this major step with our GLR network. See photos from the event on their social media page and on CGLR’s Facebook page.

Families in the Promise Baby & You program used books and teddy bears distributed by Promise Partnership Utah to practice reading tips with their babies and toddlers. Promise Partnership Utah will post on their social media platforms. 

The Virgin Islands Children’s Museum hosted a reading and book giveaway of Island Alphabet: Discovering the Virgin Islands Letter by Letter by Angela Golden Bryan, followed by children’s activities on Saturday, July 26, at 1 p.m. AST. The Children’s Museum of St. Croix hosted a similar event on Saturday, August 2, at 9 a.m.