As part of the District’s celebration of the Month of the Young Child, OSSE is excited to host Read Across DC on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

Reading to young children helps build their literacy skills and expand their vocabulary. All are invited to participate in Read Across DC to shine a light on the importance of early literacy and DC’s confident, competent and joyful readers. 

To help you prepare for Read Across DC, we’ve created a toolkit with ideas for how your child development facility or school can get involved. Click here to download the toolkit (Español). Use the toolkit to: 

• Choose a book: Take a look at our book suggestions for learners of different ages. Visit your local library to checkout a book or select a book you already have on hand.  
• Download and print Read Across DC materials: 
  • Bookmark: Share the official Read Across DC bookmark with students.
  • Coloring Pages: Print the Read Across DC coloring pages, grab some crayons, markers or colored pencils and get creative!  
  • Signs: Print the signs and have students fill in the blank to share their favorite book and why they love reading. Snap a photo with the sign and share it on social using #ReadAcrossDC 
• Post on social: Check out a few ideas for posting on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. And remember to use #ReadAcrossDC! 
• Connect to resources from DC Public Library: Find information on programs and resources for learners of all ages. 

We hope your child development facility will participate in Read Across DC on April 26 and that you’ll tell us how you’re celebrating! Keep OSSE updated by using #ReadAcrossDC in your social media posts and tagging @OSSE.DC on Instagram and @OSSEDC on Twitter and Facebook. You can also email [email protected].