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From the Director
Summer started early this year as schools across Georgia closed their doors to protect the health and safety of students and teachers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Public and private partners rallied to support children’s learning and health during the closures—and that support will continue into summer.
We all want to make sure every child in Georgia—especially our most vulnerable children—eat healthy, stay safe, and continue to learn. This year, GeorgiaSummer.org features more resources than ever before to help families find healthy food, safety tips, learning resources, summer camp and child care information, and more.
Please help us share these vital resources. Download our virtual billboard and flyer to post on your website and social media platforms. And send us your stories, photos, and videos that show how families are incorporating these tools into everyday life using the hashtag #SchoolsOutGA.
With gratitude,
Arianne
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 Summer Reading Challenge Underway in Georgia
Since schools closed in March, children in all 159 counties have already spent 2,237,158 minutes reading 160,120 free digital books with Renaissance myON. Access to this resource will continue through Aug. 21. Send us reviews, videos, and photos—and use the hashtags #GetGAReading and #myON on social media. We're challenging Georgians to read for 2 million minutes from May 4 to Aug. 21.
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 Vaccination Rates Drop Due to COVID-19
Childhood vaccinations plummeted in mid-March after COVID-19 was declared a national emergency, leaving children vulnerable to preventable diseases, according to a new report. Authors said stay-at-home orders and parents’ fears about contracting COVID-19 at a doctor’s office may have kept them from scheduling visits. Skipping visits has repercussions beyond vaccines.
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 Georgia Teachers Rise Above
When Georgia schools closed amid the COVID-19 outbreak to ensure the health and safety of students and staff, teachers quickly transitioned to a brand-new type of learning, finding innovative new ways to stay connected with students and support their continued learning. State Superintendent Richard Woods celebrates teachers’ efforts.
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 Adult Education: The Other End of the Spectrum
Cayanna Good, assistant commissioner of adult education for the Office of Adult Education at Technical College System of Georgia, says that while third-grade reading level is a strong predictor for high school graduation outcomes, another strong predictor is the reading level of the parents of Georgia’s 1.7 million students. Good said low literacy skills have a huge policy implication.
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Children of parents with low literacy skills have a 72% chance of being at the lowest reading levels.
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Visit getgeorgiareading.org/coronavirus for a full list of timely resources.
Bright By Text Offers Free Childhood Resources to Parents and Caregivers
GPB Education is partnering with Bright By Text—a service that provides free childhood education and development tools, along with community resources—directly to smartphones. Parents and caregivers can sign up by texting GPB to 274448 or by filling out this form. Bright By Text subscribers can choose to receive texts in English or Spanish.
New Summer Activity Guide Helps Engage Youth
Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network (GSAN) has developed a new Summer Activity Guide that's designed to to engage and support children during an atypical summer. Over the next 10 weeks, GSAN will release 150 activities and challenges segmented by age, “Quick Guides” to support youth development professionals and families, implementation videos to guide front-line staff, and helpful webinars.
Nickelodeon’s Noggin Offers Brain-Boosting Content
Noggin’s brain-boosting content is available to all Campaign for Grade-Level Reading communities for free for 90 days, thanks to a partnership between United Way Worldwide and Nickelodeon, which aims to support low-income parents who are working to ensure that their young children continue to learn while preschools are closed or inaccessible.
Everyone Counts in Georgia
Georgia Family Connection Partnership and Voices for Georgia’s Children are continuing to partner to ensure an accurate count for Georgia in Census 2020. When everyone is counted, community programs—like child care and food assistance—get more of the funding they need. Everyone Counts provides printable flyers, videos, social media content, interactive maps, and more to promote a complete count.
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GLR Learning Tuesdays Webinars
June 2, 9, 16, and 23; 3 p.m.
The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading’s (GLR) series of online learning events for the GLR Network helps lift up the best science, ideas, and programs to inform local efforts. Upcoming webinars will explore the challenge posed by learning loss caused by COVID-19 school closures and strategies for helping children catch up and succeed. Register Now
National Summer Learning Week
Monday – Saturday, July 6 – 11
National Summer Learning Association’s (NSLA) annual celebration is dedicated to elevating the importance of keeping kids learning, safe, and healthy every summer, ensuring that they return to school in the fall ready to succeed. This year, NSLA is bringing back themes you can use to highlight activities throughout the week. Suggested themes are Literacy, STEM, Arts, College and Career Readiness, and Nutrition and Wellness. Check out toolkits and post your plans on the Summer Learning Week Events Calendar. Get Started
GLR Week (Virtual Event)
Monday – Friday, July 13 – 17
Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is converting GLR Week 2020 into a virtual event. Dive into a week of content-rich virtual exchanges with leaders and funders lifting up parents, philanthropy, and innovation as fuel for the continued pursuit of early school success for children in low-income families. Learn More
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We Want to Hear From You
Our partners are the heroes in this work, and we want to help connect you with each other and with resources that can help you get even greater results. And we want to hear more stories. Please share yours with us so we can post it to getgeorgiareading.org. Send your stories—or any questions about the Campaign—to Arianne Weldon at arianne@gafcp.org.
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