Families in Lakeland gathered Wednesday for a literacy event at IDEA Public Schools Lakeland aimed at helping children build home libraries and strengthen reading skills.
The event, held at IDEA Lakeland, gave each kindergarten through fifth-grade student a new book to take home as part of a partnership involving New Worlds Reading and the YMCA.
Organizers said this year’s featured book was Fly Guy Presents: Dogs, a story about a boy and his pet exploring the world of dogs.
To help bring the story to life, adoptable animals were brought to campus through a partnership with the SPCA, allowing children to interact with animals connected to the book’s theme.
The event also included storytelling by local authors, small-group reading sessions and grade-level literacy activities designed for students and parents.
Families attending the event were offered dinner from Chick-fil-A while learning about the New Worlds Reading initiative, a Florida-supported program that provides books and reading resources to eligible students each month.
School leaders said the goal is to help families continue reading at home beyond classroom instruction.
Research consistently shows that reading proficiency by third grade plays a major role in long-term academic success, and organizers said events like this are designed to help close literacy gaps early.
IDEA Public Schools operates tuition-free public charter schools in multiple states and serves students in both Lakeland and Tampa.
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