GRADY COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — Most people wouldn't expect to find kids reading at a football game, but a local reading program designed to make reading more accessible is bringing books to the stadium.
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The Roddenbery Memorial Library in Cairo created the program to boost literacy among local youth. Grady County Public Schools has a reading proficiency score of 27%, compared to the 40% statewide average, according to Public School Review.
Samantha Gainous works as the youth coordinator at Roddenbery Library in Cairo and says they wanted to create a fun, engaging way to make reading more accessible, encourage reading through community outreach and help improve literacy levels in local youth.
"We have so many kids coming in and not reading on grade level, who are behind schedule on when they should be able to read," Gainous said.
That's where the Friday Night Brights reading program was born. Library staff sets up a tent at home football games and offers a simple exchange for kids. They read a book, and the library gives them a prize like a glow stick or noise maker.
While the library is helping older kids read more, Grady County neighbor Jacquelyn Hernandez is trying to expose her daughter to reading while she's young. Hernandez has been bringing her 10-month-old daughter to the library since summer and says she does it so she can give her daughter something she didn't have.
"My mom grew up as not knowing English, and I have the opportunity to know English, so she has the opportunity to learn two different languages," Hernandez said.
That early exposure to reading is something Hernandez hopes her daughter will carry with her as she grows older.
"I know that's going to help her in the future," Hernandez said. "When she starts going to school, she's probably going to already know some things when she starts."
The program falls under the library's special initiative "Read Like a Local," the overall umbrella for all early literacy initiatives at the library.
Friday Night Brights takes place at West Thomas Stadium in Cairo at every home high school football game this season. The last game is November 6th. Anyone interested in volunteering can reach out to the library, which requires a background check and some other steps.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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