Read Across America Day
Read Across America Day is a day to celebrate and foster a love of reading.
VBGrowSmart Office
Virginia Relay TTY
It's not about titles or egos—it's about the love of reading.
In 2014, GrowSmart began celebrating the National Education Association's Read Across America Day with early childhood programs to promote literacy and a love for books. Each year, GrowSmart marks the occasion on the first Friday in March to launch National Reading Month. The celebration has evolved to emphasize diverse books and authors, promoting inclusive stories that reflect various experiences and cultures.
Some of our previous books include titles such as "Change Sings" by Amanda Gorman, "The Word Collector" by Peter H. Reynolds, "All Are Welcome" by Alexandra Penfold, "The One Day House" by Julia Durango and many more.
2025 Read Across America Day Book
'I Am Human: A Book of Empathy' by Susan Verde
Being human means we are full of possibilities. We learn, we dream, we wonder at the world around us, but we also make mistakes and can feel fearful or sad.
Every Child Receives a Book
To promote literacy and a love for books, every child receives a book. In the first year, 34 sites were visited by 136 guest reader volunteers and every participating classroom received a copy of a free book. Today, every child at a participating center receives a book!
Volunteers can register to be guest readers at participating Virginia Beach preschools and elementary schools.
Event Highlights
As the years have passed, we have strategically grown the event to incorporate more early childhood programs. It includes private childcare centers, Head Start, Virginia Beach City Public Schools' pre-k classrooms, Parks and Recreation's early childhood programs, Seatack Elementary School's kindergarten, Virginia Beach Public Library’s Early Literacy Outreach sites, and more.
Since 2014, over 40,000 Virginia Beach children have benefited, and over 1,200 community volunteers have participated. Here are this year's numbers
Accomplishments
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385: Participating classrooms
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6,104: Pre-k books provided each year
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153: Volunteers
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90: Participating sites
Read Across America Day (2025)
Read Across America Day (2024)
As you read along with the book, notice the many ways the characters help make their world a better place. What do you see them doing?
Read Across America Around the City
Partners
The City of Virginia Beach is a proud supporter of this event, with volunteers coming from across departments, including Virginia Beach City Council, Police Department, Fire Department, Parks & Recreation, Health Department, Virginia Aquarium & History Museums, Economic Development, and many more!
Special thanks to our generous sponsors Anthem Healthkeeper's Plus, Square One, and the Virginia Beach GrowSmart Foundation, a 501(c)(3). Their support provides books for each child to take home.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Virginia Beach READS
This event is a piece in our local Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. Virginia Beach READS will continue this event for the City of Virginia Beach for years to come! For more information, contact GrowSmart at 757-385-0144 or VBGrowSmart@vbgov.com.
Read Across America Day (2023)
