Lansing Reads Together

Why Lansing Reads Together?

Literacy is not the responsibility of schools alone. It is a shared community commitment.

Lansing Reads Together brings families, educators, businesses, libraries, faith communities, and community organizations together to expand access to books and educational resources, create engaging literacy experiences, and strengthen family involvement in learning.

Together, we are building a community where literacy is celebrated, barriers are addressed, and every child is encouraged to reach their full potential.

The Opportunity

Literacy shapes how children learn, communicate, build confidence, and prepare for the future. Yet many students continue to

need stronger support both inside and beyond the classroom.

Michigan’s current education dashboard reports that 39.6% of third-grade students are proficient in reading. This means that fewer than half of Michigan’s third graders are meeting the state’s reading-proficiency benchmark.

The need is significant, but so is the opportunity.

39.6%

of third-grade students are proficient in reading.

1.8M

words annually through approximately 21 minutes of reading outside school each day.

The Power of 20 Minutes

A consistent reading routine can make a meaningful difference. Research cited by Scholastic indicates that approximately 21 minutes of reading outside school each day can expose a child to more than 1.8 million words annually while supporting stronger reading achievement.

Twenty minutes. One child. More than 1.8 million words.

This is why access matters. A child needs books to read, encouragement to continue, and opportunities that make literacy feel relevant and enjoyable.

Our Community Response

Through Lansing Reads Together, GrowthMindset is creating opportunities for children and families to:

  • Receive free, age-appropriate books.

  • Participate in engaging literacy experiences.

  • Establish reading goals and track their progress.

  • Build consistent reading habits through the GrowthMindset Literacy Passport.

  • Access resources that help remove barriers to learning.

Community investment turns these opportunities into action. It places books into children’s hands, strengthens family engagement, and reminds young readers that their community believes in their potential. When a community invests in literacy, it invests in every child’s future.