In Lee County, the latest Georgia KIDS COUNT data shows that 30.1% of third-grade students are achieving Proficient Learner or above on the Milestones ELA assessment, highlighting the need for targeted solutions.

Lee County Family Connection recently co-hosted “Red, White, and Bluey: Happy Birthday USA Party.” The event was part of the Georgia Reads for America 250 initiative, a statewide celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. The program promotes civic literacy through community reading challenges, special exhibits, and curated book lists tailored for all ages.

Literate Lee, Lee County Family Connection’s literacy strategy team, focuses on early literacy intervention from birth through age 8 and includes Lee County School System, Lee County Library, Lee County Chamber of Commerce, Lee County Retired Educators, and the City of Leesburg.

The party, held in conjunction with Lee County Library’s Summer Reading Program and the City of Leesburg’s Mayors Reading Club, was attended by 130 children and 85 adults. Mayor David Daughtry read Malcolm Mitchell’s book “Hey, Georgia” before a drop of 200 balloons. Children also got to meet Bluey and take home goodie bags filled with themed crafts and activities.

Lee County Family Connection is the local point of contact for the Get Georgia Reading Campaign. This festive event supports the Collaborative’s overarching action plan focused on early literacy interventions for families with children birth to age 8.

“Through our 10-year journey, there are programs that were implemented but did not succeed—and there are some that we’re still implementing today,” said Patsy James, executive director of Lee County Family Connection. “We allow both our failures and successes to inform our path forward. We’re committed to walking alongside our families and children—building authentic, trusting relationships so that our families feel empowered to forge their pathway to long-term self-sufficiency and success.”

Lee County Family Connection convenes partners each month to develop and work together on integrated strategies to improve child, family, and community well-being—equipping them with the tools and methods they need to be more effective.

“Literacy is an issue that touches all aspects of life,” said Liz Sandefur, director of the Lee County Library. “Our library is proud to work alongside Lee County Family Connection’s Literate Lee team to ensure that our community reaps all the benefits associated with high literacy rates, including increased financial stability and improved outcomes for health and education.”

Children who reach fourth grade without being able to read proficiently are more likely to drop out of high school, reducing their earnings potential and chances for success while increasing their risk for long-term health issues.

According to James, evaluation of Literate Lee’s work shows that the Collaborative is making a difference. “Our approach is grounded in continuous learning, authentic partnerships with families, and the belief that both successes and failures provide important guidance for improving early literacy outcomes,” said James.

Along with continuing current programs that have proven to make a difference with the families served, the Collaborative will incorporate The Basics to bolster brain development for social, emotional, and cognitive skill building as a sturdy foundation for school readiness across whole communities. “The Basics will allow us to create a focused approach to working with families specifically with children birth to age 5,” said James.

Lee County Family Connection is a member of the Georgia Family Connection statewide network, working alongside children, families, and communities across the state to craft local solutions that maximize resources and make systems more effective and efficient.

To learn more about Lee County Family Connection’s efforts, visit lee.gafcp.org or contact Patsy Shirley at 229-500-6391 or patsy@leecountyfamilyconnection.org.

Contact:

Krystin Dean
GaFCP Communications Specialist
706-897-4711
krystin@gafcp.org