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Starting this Friday, children in Covington can participate in the annual Mayor's Reading Challenge by reading stories and playing learning games for 75 minutes each week. The challenge is open to students from Pre-K through Grade 3 who are enrolled in the free bilingual apps provided by the City's Read Ready Covington initiative. These apps include CleverKidsUniversity for ages 3 to 5 and Footsteps2Brilliance for ages 5 to 8.
The challenge, now in its fifth year, will run from November 1 through December 13. It began during Mayor Joe Meyer's first term amid COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns and marks the last one during his final term. "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."
Participants can enter a weekly raffle for prizes by using the apps for more than 75 minutes each week. Prizes include a $75 Stoney’s Village Toy Shoppe gift card, a t-shirt, storybooks, treats, arts and craft materials/school supplies.
Connolly recommends setting aside time to read daily and tracking progress as part of building strong habits for life and learning. "All of these habits are easy to accomplish using Footsteps2Brilliance and Clever Kids University apps," she said. Connolly also advises moderation so that children engage in other activities like playing outside or helping their families.
Read Ready Covington also organizes literacy events around housing communities in Covington, encourages book donations for distribution, supports Little Free Libraries' growth, and promotes playful learning landscapes such as murals and alphabet-themed metal signs across the city.
