Reading Challenge returns Friday for Pre-K through 3rd grade kids
COVINGTON, Ky. – Starting this Friday, Covington kiddos can qualify for prize raffles by reading stories and playing learning games for 75 minutes each week. It’s all part of the annual Mayor’s Reading Challenge.
The challenge, now in its fifth year, runs Nov. 1 through Dec. 13. It is open to all Covington students in Pre-K through Grade 3 who are enrolled in the free bilingual apps offered through the City’s Read Ready Covington early childhood initiative. The apps are CleverKidsUniversity (for ages 3 to 5) and Footsteps2Brilliance (ages 5 to 8).
The Mayor’s Ready Challenge began early in Mayor Joe Meyer’s first term as mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, and this will be the last one during Meyer’s final term of service.
“Since beginning Read Ready Covington in late 2019, Covington children have been exposed to 187,355,033 words, and read more than 286,100 books found on the Foosteps2Brilliance and Clever Kids University apps,” said Read Ready Covington Director Mary Kay Connolly. “Thank you Mayor Meyer, for your leadership.”
During the Mayor’s Ready Challenge, children can qualify to enter a weekly raffle for prizes by reading stories and playing games for more than 75 minutes each week while using the Footsteps2Brilliance or Clever Kids University apps. Raffle prizes include a $75 Stoney’s Village Toy Shoppe gift card, a t-shirt, storybooks, treats, arts and craft materials/school supplies.
Connolly said Read Ready Covington suggests the following to help children build strong habits for life and learning:
- Set aside time to read.
- Set reading goals for yourself.
- Read every day.
- Track your reading.
“All of these habits are easy to accomplish using Footsteps2Brilliance and Clever Kids University apps, which are available at no cost to all residents for children who are 3 years old through Grade 3,” said Connolly, noting that it’s more productive for children to log into the apps for 15 to 20 minutes of reading, 5 times a day, rather than binging for long periods at a time.
“We encourage moderation so that children also play outside, do projects, help their families, and read print books as well,” said Connolly
About Read Ready Covington
Besides the use of the apps, Read Ready Covington also organizes regular literacy events in housing communities around Covington, solicits donations of books to give out, and supports the increase of Little Free Libraries. RRC encourages families to get outside to enjoy playful learning landscapes. These include murals and several sets of metal signs around the city displaying words beginning with the 26 letters of the alphabet. These are “collected” by children as part of a literacy scavenger hunt, sparking curiosity and problem-solving skills.
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