Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation announces its K-3rd Grade Summer Reading pilot to provide 30,000 students in Tennessee with six books, piloting a Summer Collection from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, at no cost to families or school districts. All rising 1^st through 3^rd grade students in 33 participating school districts will receive two books delivered to their homes monthly in June, July and August.

Third grade reading proficiency is a key indicator for a child’s future educational success and workforce readiness,” says James Pond, GELF President. “Through this pilot initiative, we hope to combat summer learning loss and strengthen early literacy in Tennessee by providing students with books and resources outside of school.

Also known as the “Summer Slide,” research shows that two to three months of reading proficiency is lost for students who do not read over the summer. Reading four to six books has the potential to stop or even reverse “Summer Slide.”

Participating school districts were chosen based on the county’s designation of “distressed” or “at-risk” by the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development and the Tennessee Department of Education.

Through this pilot, families will also receive free access to digital learning resources and activities to engage with their children around the monthly books.

Participating Tennessee School Districts

For more information, contact Paige Atchley, Program Manager, at Paige.Atchley@tn.gov.