- Students in grades 3–5 lose up to 20% of their reading progress over summer break.
- Georgia’s 76.4% literacy rate falls just below the national average of 79%.
- Watch the video to see how the Wildcats on Wheels bus is helping Valdosta neighborhoods.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
As school lets out for summer, Valdosta educators aren't just thinking about test scores or final grades—they're thinking about what happens next. Because when the books get shelved, so do reading skills.
Georgia's literacy rate sits at 76.4%, just shy of the national average. But for many kids, the biggest dip happens when school takes a break.
Studies show students in grades 3 to 5 lose up to 20% of their reading progress over the summer—unless they keep those pages turning.
"So if students are not in school, they may not be reading as much as they normally would. So we want to just encourage them to keep reading during the summer."
Kendal Crawford, Valdosta City School's director of instructional tech and media, tells me they're kicking off summer break with Color Our World: Black & Gold Edition at McMullen Southside Library.
The Wildcats on Wheels, mobile library, will deliver free books right to our neighborhoods.
For Pinevale Elementary 2nd grader Riley Smith, she's picking up right where she left off in class.
"Sometimes we get a book and we had to write about it and whoever does it first gets her another book."
It's that kind of encouragement Valdosta educators hope continues at home.
"We love our parents to read to their children… even if it's just 2-3 minutes a day. Have your child read something to you—even if it's in the car, reading signs. Anything helps."
Which Smith tells me she'll continue to do once she arrives home with her new book.
"I'll read the books that Auntie got me with my Nana."
VCS' WOW bus runs entirely off donations, so if you have any spare books around, please be sure to contact Crawford through the school. In Valdosta, I'm Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC27.
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