The date has been set! Mark your calendar for Friday, November 6, at 11:30 a.m. for READ USA’s 2026 Peace in the Pages!
Peace in the Pages is READ USA’s annual luncheon celebrating literacy and the champions for literacy in our community. Each year, supporters, partners and community leaders come together to recognize the people and progress helping advance literacy throughout Jacksonville.
This year’s celebration will once again take place at The Schultz Center, bringing the READ USA community together for an inspiring celebration of literacy, leadership and impact.
As in past years, generous supporters who donate $1,000 or more to READ USA are invited to Peace in the Pages as our guests. Donors will receive a personal invitation with additional event and seating information.
Your support helps READ USA continue providing literacy and workforce development opportunities for children and teens throughout our community.
More details about this year’s program, special guests and honorees will be announced in the weeks ahead.
Save the Date
Friday, November 6, 2026 | 11:30 a.m. | The Schultz Center
We look forward to celebrating with you in November!
Kicking Off a New Season of Literacy Locker Rooms!
Football season is back — and so are Literacy Locker Rooms!
This week, the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation kicked off the first Literacy Locker Room of the 2026–2027 school year at John Love Early Learning Center, bringing books, Jaguars excitement and plenty of fun to some of our youngest readers.
Three- and four-year-old kiddos had the opportunity to select four free books each to take home and keep, with 500 books provided for the event thanks to the generous sponsorship support of Gallagher.
The morning also included a special read-aloud with #52 Defensive Tackle DaVon Hamilton alongside Jaxson de Ville, and members of the ROAR of the Jaguars!
At Literacy Locker Room events, students have the opportunity to choose free books to take home and make their own, courtesy of the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation and Jaguars sponsors, including Gallagher. These special events combine the excitement of the Jaguars with the joy of choosing and reading a new book. 
Team READ USA is grateful to the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation for its continued partnership and commitment to childhood literacy through Literacy Locker Room events. A special thank you to Gallagher for sponsoring the first Literacy Locker Room of the school year and helping provide 500 books for John Love Early Learning Center young readers!
We are also especially thankful to Diane, one of READ USA’s dedicated volunteers, for once again lending a helping hand, as well as the members of Gallagher, the staff at John Love Early Learning Center and the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation for helping make the morning so special.
And this is only the beginning! We have more Literacy Locker Rooms ahead this school year, bringing books and memorable reading experiences to even more young readers across Jacksonville.
The 2027 Read for the Record Book Is Here!
The book has been chosen! Jumpstart has announced the official selection for the 2027 Read for the Record, and Team READ USA is already looking forward to joining readers around the world for another year of this annual celebration of early literacy.
This year’s selection is Brave Like a Lion! How a Puppeteer Found Her Voice, written by Megan Piphus Baptist and illustrated by Niña Mata.
Inspired by author Megan Piphus Baptist’s own childhood, Brave Like a Lion! follows a shy young girl as she discovers the courage to find and use her voice. The story celebrates confidence, self-expression and the bravery it can take to let your voice be heard.
Each year, Jumpstart’s Read for the Record brings millions of children and adults together to read the same book on the same day, creating a shared reading experience while raising awareness about the importance of early literacy.
And READ USA will be joining the celebration again!
Mark your calendars for Thursday, February 25, 2027, when READ USA will once again participate in Read for the Record Day at the elementary schools we serve across Duval County.
READ USA volunteers joined students across our elementary school sites to celebrate Read for the Record Day in 2026.
In past years, READ USA volunteers have stepped into classrooms to read the selected book aloud with students, helping bring the worldwide celebration right here to Jacksonville. We look forward to continuing that tradition in 2027!
More details about READ USA’s Read for the Record celebration will be shared as we get closer to February.
Until then, we can’t wait to get our hands on this year’s book and get ready to Read for the Record!
Children’s Book: Maybe by Kobi Yamada
“Have you ever wondered why you are here?” asks the author. There is no one like you. Maybe you’re here to make a difference with your uniqueness; maybe you will speak for those who can’t or use your gifts to shine a light into the darkness. 
Maybe, encourages readers to follow their hearts and tap into their limitless potential to be anything and do anything. This quite read encourages children to reach for their untapped potential while reminding them it won’t be easy – they will make messes and mistakes – but the magic within can help overcome falls and failures.
Written by New York Times best-selling author Kobi Yamada, this is a story for everything you will do and everything you can be. It’s a story about all the possibilities ahead of you. It’s for who you are right now and it’s for all the magical, unbounded potential you hold inside. With its beautiful visual storytelling and timeless message, Maybe is an inspiring story for kids of all ages.
Submitted by Kathi Hart, READ USA Lead Content Specialist
Parent Education Corner: Supporting Reading Skills at Home
Learning to read is a vital skill. A child’s literacy success or failure can affect his or her life for decades. Research shows that compared to proficient readers, students who don’t read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma.
One of the most important roles that parents can play in their child’s education is supporting and nurturing their child’s reading abilities and love of reading.
An activity you can do with your child is having conversations before, during, and after reading together. (These activities are typically appropriate for children in kindergarten through third grade.) Having conversations when reading with children helps them develop higher-level thinking and language skills, such as predicting and problem solving.
While reading books aloud, ask the child questions and talk about the content of the story before, during and after reading.
From The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences and The What Works Clearinghouse
Submitted by Kathi Hart, READ USA Lead Content Specialist