Contacts: Chris Boivin, (904) 255-6106
Cell: (904) 759-5643, cboivin@coj.net
Jeremy Yates, (904) 255-6111
jyates@coj.net
Mayor Deegan and Jacksonville's City Council Proclaim June 3 - August 9 Summer at the Library
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 30, 2024 - Most parents and caregivers have a hard time finding fun things for kids to do during the summer that won't break the bank. Adventure Begins... at Jacksonville Public Library with more than two months of events, activities, and giveaways to keep kids entertained and engaged all summer long. Kids will have a blast and go back to school in the fall without losing all their educational progress.
Thank you to Mayor Deegan and Jacksonville's City Council for proclaiming June 3 - August 9 Summer at the Library and encouraging all parents and caregivers to visit the library with their children! Everything you need to know is at jaxpubliclibrary.org/summer, but see below for some tips and tricks to get your summer started off right!
Get your summer prize books (while supplies last)! Join us at a Drop-In Summer Kick-Off Party (June 4-8) to get a free book to start building your home libraries! Thanks to Tenikka's Books For Kids annual book drive and generous donations from the Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library and others, you can choose among everything from board books and picture books for the littlest readers to chapter books and graphic novels for teens.
WHAT: Drop-In Summer Kick-Off Party
WHERE: All 21 Jacksonville Public Library locations
WHEN: June 4-8
HOW: Visit jaxpubliclibrary.org/summer to find the location/date/time that works for you!
WHO: Free and open to all
Plus, it's a great time to sign up everyone in the family for their own library card so they can meet their summer reading goals! For more reading challenges and the chance to win more prizes, be sure to pick up a Bingo Card or Summer Passport while you're there.
Need more? Mayor Deegan is having a huge summer reading kickoff party for her River City Readers challenge on June 8 from 9 a.m. - noon in Ed Austin Regional Park. This blowout will feature free books and backpacks for kids, nearly 50 local children's book authors, a live DJ, a storytime tent, sweet treats, face painters, balloons, and more activities for the whole family. Visit jacksonville.gov/rivercityreaders to learn how to log your reading in the Beanstack app and help the city reach its goal of 1,000,000 minutes in 2024.
WHAT: River City Readers Summer Kickoff Party
WHERE: Ed Austin Regional Park (11751 McCormick Rd)
WHEN: Saturday, June 8, 9 a.m. - noon
WHO: Free and open to all
Still need more ways to keep the kids entertained? Live from the Library brings live animals shows, drummers, scientists, magicians and other fun special guests to your local Jacksonville Public Library.
And for the adults? Get in on the summer fun by joining Jax Stacks, the Library's year-round reading challenge for adults or one of our many Book Clubs. There will also be Lit Chat Author Interviews, Writer's Lab workshops, History Chats and more opportunities for reading, learning and fun throughout the summer!
Want to stay in the know? Sign up one of our email newsletters at bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates.
To help ensure that kids don't go hungry while school is out of session, free and nutritious meals will be available for children and teens (18 and younger) at several locations, including many Jacksonville Public Library locations, starting June 10, 2024. No signup or application is necessary.
While children are at the library eating lunch, they can check out books and participate in other fun activities the library hosts throughout the summer such as storytimes, drop-in crafts, Live from the Library performances and other great summer learning opportunities.
WHAT: FREE Summer Lunch at the Library
WHERE: Multiple library locations
WHEN: June 10 through August 2, Monday-Friday
HOW: Visit jaxpubliclibrary.org/summerlunch for participating locations and meal times
WHO: Any child 18 or younger who shows up at the library during meal times
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. For other locations and updates, please visit www.summerbreakspot.org, call 211, or text FOOD to 304-304. SFSP is funded by the USDA and coordinated through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida this year.
Read Every Day
We know the importance of reading and how it can set children on the path to success. Studies show that kids can lose significant knowledge in reading and math over summer break without opportunities to maintain some basic literacy skills.
That is why Jacksonville Public Library is a proud member of ReadJax, a community effort to improve third-grade reading outcomes. Along with Mayor Deegan, we've also adopted the slogan "Twenty Minutes a Day Paves the Way" because research has shown that reading (and being read to) just 20 minutes a day can:
- Provide time for parents and caregivers to bond with children
- Expose children to as many 1.8 million words per year
- Help students reach the 90th percentile on standardized tests
- Improve listening skills
- Prepare pre-kindergartners for school
- Improve your child's earning potential later in life
- Lead to healthier lives.
