First Lady of Mississippi Elee Reeves is partnering with Excel By 5, Inc. to encourage early childhood reading across the state, saying in a social media post that building a strong Mississippi starts with strong readers. The campaign urges families and communities to spark a love of reading early and to take part in the #Readfor20MS effort.
Excel By 5, Inc., a nonprofit that focuses on early childhood development and literacy initiatives, has worked in communities to promote school readiness and parent engagement. The partnership with the First Lady aims to raise awareness of reading as a foundation for later academic success.
Experts and educators generally agree that early exposure to books and reading supports language development and classroom readiness, which in turn can affect long-term educational outcomes. Community-driven campaigns can help connect families with resources, libraries and simple daily routines that build reading skills.
The announcement frames the initiative as an investment in the state and its children and invites Mississippians to participate in #Readfor20MS. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
