ROSWELL, Ga. — Georgia leaders are working to tackle a troubling literacy challenge.
According to the Georgia Council on Literacy, 62% of Georgia third graders are not reading proficiently.
State education leaders say one way to reverse that trend is by reaching children long before they enter elementary school.
That’s the goal behind Georgia Pre-K Week, which brought former Georgia football star and Super Bowl champion Malcolm Mitchell and Coy Bowles, guitarist for the Zac Brown Band, to Building Kidz of Roswell to read to dozens of Pre-K students.
The pair read their co-authored book, “Every Amazing Song,” hoping to inspire a love of reading at an early age.
“I think it starts with kicking on a tune and just watching them dance and seeing them come to life,” Bowles said.
Mitchell, who has spoken openly about his own struggles with literacy growing up, says introducing children to books early can have lifelong benefits.
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“So if we can get them immersed in a book early, hopefully that’s going to pay off later,” Mitchell said.
The visit was part of a statewide effort to highlight the importance of early childhood education.
Amy Jacobs, commissioner of DECAL’s Bright from the Start, said more than 90% of a child’s brain develops by age 5.
“When you expose them to high-quality early learning, like Georgia Pre-K, they’re much more likely to meet those quality benchmarks, being ready for kindergarten, reading on grade level by third grade and on and on,” Jacobs said.
For Mitchell, the mission is personal. Through his Share the Magic Foundation, he has spent years promoting literacy and encouraging children to discover the power of reading.
“To me, reading is the most self-empowering tool we can possess,” Mitchell said.
As part of the initiative, every Georgia Pre-K student, about 87,000 children statewide, will receive a copy of the book to take home and read with their families.
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