JOHNSTON COUNTY – During the week of July 15, Read to Grow Johnston County celebrated National Summer Learning Week and hosted its fourth consecutive Paws for Reading events. From Benson to Kenly, Clayton to Princeton, children across the county adopted plush reading buddies and pledged to read to them for 20 minutes every day during the summer.
More than 338 young readers took home a new book and heard a story from a local celebrity at 11 events, including County Commissioner Butch Lawter, Smithfield Mayor Andy Moore and Smithfield City Councilor Marlon Lee.
Parents also benefited, learning new ways to encourage their children’s reading skills by using strategies such as developing a reading routine, checking out new books from the library, and reading together as a family.
National Summer Learning Week emphasizes the importance of learning during the summer to ensure children return to school ready for success. Read to Grow members believe that summer is a critical time that can provide children who are performing below grade level the opportunity to catch up with their higher-achieving peers.
The success of these events is due to the close collaboration with many of the county’s public libraries, all of the wonderful celebrity readers, and the work of the volunteers of the Summer Learning Loss Action Team.
