There is another major push to get more kids reading in Jacksonville. Mayor Donna Deegan is launching a new citywide literacy challenge called River City Readers . The mayor says it’s part of the next chapter of the Jacksonville Journey, the anti-crime initiative she revived as a part of a campaign promise.
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The mayor told Action News Jax that improving youth literacy benefits our entire city.
Research shows building literacy skills in childhood can have positive lifelong impacts.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan hopes her new River City Readers literacy challenge will help achieve that aim .
In a sit down with Action News Jax Anchor Tenikka Hughes, Mayor Deegan said, “If you can get kids interested in a love for reading, a love for books, they’re going to be less likely to get into other things you don’t want them to get into. It creates a much better pathway for their futures.”
River City Readers encourages local kids to read 20 minutes a day and then log their reading minutes into a free app called Beanstack. Experts say reading 20 minutes a day can improve academic, economic, and health outcomes. The mayor’s new challenge is the latest push in an ongoing community effort to help local kids improve their reading skills. In recent years, data from state tests revealed more than half of third-grade students in Duval County were not reading at grade level. Mayor Deegan said that has to change and we all have to do our part. Deegan said, “I’m really hoping that we can get everybody excited about this. Because I know you share this passion with me because you know that at the end of the day if we can get kids reading at grade level, that sets them up for success.”