The Newport News Mayor’s Book Club, coordinated by
the Newport News Public Library System, partners with community volunteers and sponsors in order to improve student literacy rates. They work to achieve this by providing early literacy opportunities for 1,440 Newport News preschoolers who attend First Step in one of the City’s five early childhood education centers. The next reading for the Mayor's Book Club is Thursday, April 21st and they still need 12 readers! Anyone can volunteer!
Each month, from October through May, community volunteers read a preselected book to the children and help the children learn to have a love of reading. Once the children listen to the story, they are given the same book to take home—if funding allows—which helps encourage family reading time.
By the end of each school year, the Newport News Mayor’s Book Club hopes to provide eight take-home books for each of the 1440 preschoolers who might not otherwise have access to them. Funding for the program comes from the City of Newport News, Friends of the Newport News Public Library, The Newport News Public Library System Foundation, and sponsors who feel strongly about the need for early literacy. Contact
Judy Pantelides for more information on how to get involved.