The Mayor’s Summer Reading Club (MSRC) is a program for children ages birth to five and their families that takes place in various locations throughout the city of Atlanta each summer.
What is the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club?
The Mayor’s Summer Reading Club (MSRC) is a program for children ages birth to five and their families that takes place in various locations throughout the City of Atlanta each summer. Every year, we announce a city-wide book choice for infants and children ages 2-5 to share with their families. We work with direct service programs to distribute copies of the books at no cost to children, and we encourage schools and early education programs to introduce the story and distribute the books to the children they serve.
Throughout the summer, libraries, museums, farmers’ markets, child care programs, and other institutions in Atlanta hold “book club reads” to model research-based methods of reading books with children and host enrichment events based on the stories. The books come to life as children enjoy arts and crafts activities, drama exercises, and other hands-on activities designed to make the language in the stories meaningful to children.
Who sponsors the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club?
GEEARS: The Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students convenes and coordinates the MSRC, which is funded by PNC with support from the United Way of Greater Atlanta. This summer, the MSRC also received grant funding from WorldReader and the LuluMa Foundation. Along with the funding, the real keys to the program’s success are the efforts of the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta Speech School, the Alliance Theatre, and the dozens of partner organizations who work to sponsor individual activities, distribute books, and spread the word to parents and children. Finally, the MSRC owes special thanks to the Mayor’s Office of the City of Atlanta for its continuing partnership and support.
How can I participate as a partner?
We need civic organizations and institutions to partner with us! Partners agree to do at least one “read” during the summer and host at least one activity related to the books selected. These events are intended to be low-cost and easy for the sponsoring organizations.
In addition, partners agree to send us information about their event to include on our summer reading calendar, assist us in promoting MSRC events and program information on social media, and encourage participant engagement after book club activities. In addition, partners agree to complete a short survey after their event so that we can keep track of attendance and other information.
Applications for the 2024 season are now open.
2024 MSRC Contributors and Funding Partners
