Every kindergarten and prekindergarten student in Georgia will receive a book to take home, an initiative organized by the Georgia Department of Education and partners of the Get Georgia Reading campaign.

Each book has a corresponding activity, which teachers can use before sending the books home with students. Once the books are sent home, parents and families can access more resources by visiting the link printed on the inside cover of each book. They also can opt in to a text-messaging service that provides regular educational tips for parents of young children.

“Literacy is a key focus of my administration,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “It is essential to provide opportunities to develop literacy early and often — in the classroom and in the home. This initiative ensures, for every prekindergarten and kindergarten student in the state of Georgia, a reading experience that spans home and school, supported by the resources necessary to enrich that experience.”

Elementary schools began receiving shipments of the books during the week of Aug. 17-21. 

Book activities for teachers are available online, and information for parents and families is printed on the inside cover of each book.
“Developing literacy skills empowers children to be active learners and can make possible their success in education and life,” said Dr. Caitlin McMunn Dooley, GaDOE deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

This project was funded through a portion of Georgia’s remaining Race to the Top funding from the U.S. Department of Education and benefited from the Georgia Department of Education’s partnerships with the offices of Gov. Nathan Deal and first lady Sandra Deal, along with the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, the Department of Early Care and Learning, the Get Georgia Reading Campaign and the Rollins Center for Language & Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School.

For more information, go to www.getgeorgiareading.org/gaready4k.