Mayor's Summer Reading Club to Close Out Third Summer with Neighborhood Block Party
Atlanta, Ga (PRWEB) July 29, 2015 -- The Mayor’s Summer Reading Club is celebrating another summer of providing meaningful summer learning opportunities with a Neighborhood Block Party on August 1, 2015 from 10 AM – 1 PM at the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309. The Neighborhood Block Party is free for children age birth to eight and their families.
The third annual Mayor’s Summer Reading Club, led by the City of Atlanta and GEEARS: the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS) and supported by PNC Grow Up Great, the United Way of Greater Atlanta and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, distributed over 15,000 free books to Atlanta students age birth to eight and provided resources to help parents teach their children to read. The Mayor’s Summer Reading Club is comprised of over 40 community partners who planned events, provided volunteers, distributed books and so much more. A full list of partners can be found at http://www.MayorsReadingClub.org.
“The summer reading program is one of my favorite academic enrichment activities that we have established for our Atlanta youth,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “Literacy is one of the best predictors of a child’s future success. With the support of dedicated partners, my Administration will continue to develop initiatives that promote early childhood literacy.”
The Neighborhood Block Party will feature live music, arts and crafts, the Voices of Atlanta Talent Show hosted by a special celebrity guest host, outdoor games and more. The City of Atlanta Parks & Rec is offering free parking and bus transportation from the Adamsville Recreation Center and $10 flat rate parking will be available at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta if you are parked by 11 AM. Complete event and parking information can be found at http://www.MayorsReadingClub.org.
“GEEARS is proud to lead the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club. We are especially grateful to partner with over 40 wonderful community organizations who help make magic happen for children in Atlanta each summer,” said Mindy Binderman, Executive Director of GEEARS. “By providing free books and hosting fun, literacy centric events, the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club enables children to learn during the summer months and enter school in the fall prepared to succeed. We are excited for the August 1 end-of-summer celebration and invite children age birth to eight and their families to join us!”
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About GEEARS
GEEARS: The Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS) was established in 2010 to help business, civic and government leaders maximize the economic return on the state’s investments in early care and learning. Guided by a growing body of research documenting the high-dollar return on investment associated with early learning and care, GEEARS is working to position Georgia as a national leader in ensuring that all children enter kindergarten prepared to succeed and on a path to read to learn by third grade.
About the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club
The Mayor’s Summer Reading Club is an annual summer program for children ages birth to eight and their families that takes place in locations throughout the city of Atlanta. The program is led by GEEARS and the City of Atlanta, funded by PNC Grow Up Great, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the United Way of Greater Atlanta, and is supported by over 40 community partners. The program designates a city- wide book choice for infants, for children ages 2-4, and for children ages 5-8 to share with families at no cost to them. Throughout the summer, libraries, museums, farmers’ markets, and other institutions in Atlanta host “book club reads” to model research based methods of reading books with children and host enrichment events based upon the stories. The books come to life as children enjoy arts and crafts activities, drama exercises, and other hands on activities designed to make the language in the stories meaningful to children.
Stephanie Libby, HL Strategy, +1 (678) 296-5498, [email protected]
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