Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced Friday the recipients of the 2016 Read to be Ready Summer Grant. Earlier this year, in conjunction with the launch of the statewide Read to be Ready Campaign, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation gave a $1 million gift to the department to award for summer reading programs over the next three years. This spring, the department received over two hundred proposals and has selected 12 summer programs from across the state to receive funding. One of those programs was the Cannon County who received the grant as part of the Upper Cumberland region with local teachers MaryBeth Young and Melisha Simmons as directors of the program.
“With less than half of the state’s third graders currently reading on grade level, we must approach reading in new and innovative ways,” Commissioner McQueen said. “Read to be Ready summer grants will support individual communities as they tailor their approach to reading to meet the needs of the families they serve.”
Read to be Ready is a coordinated approach to move third grade reading proficiency in Tennessee to 75 percent by 2025. The campaign seeks to raise awareness about the importance of reading, unite efforts to address the reading gap, highlight best practices, and build partnerships. Read to be Ready summer grants are designed to support students even after the last day of school.
To find out more about the grant requirements, visit the Read to be Ready website. To learn more about our Read to be Ready trainers, read their blog on Classroom Chronicles.