Prime Time Family Reading
Prime Time Family Reading is a national program serving 6- to 10-year-old kids and their families. Participating families build early literacy skills, engage in critical thinking, and connect with each other through literature and discussion.
During the six weeks of each session, 15-25 families gather once a week to share a meal, read stories together, and talk about the big ideas that are foundational to our society – like empathy, justice, and truth. Featuring lively storytelling and conversation, these gatherings offer opportunities for families and young children to bond, find connection, think deeply, and have a lot of fun with books and reading.
Applications open October 1. Deadline: November 20.
Join the Award-Winning National Network
Prime Time Reading just received the 2025 Library of Congress Literacy Awards American Prize. The American Prize is awarded to an organization based in the United States for making a significant and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels in the U.S. or the national awareness of the importance of literacy.
NJCH is proud to have joined Prime Time Reading with two pilot sites in 2025, and we're expanding in 2026!
Want to learn more? Attend our virtual information session on October 23.
Becoming a Prime Time Family Reading Host Site
Participation requires recruitment, program administration, and running weekly sessions.
The Program
- Prime Time Family Reading takes place in person once a week over six consecutive weeks.
- During each session, families first gather to share a meal together.
- Then a storyteller reads a children’s book and a facilitator helps guide families through a discussion about the story.
- These discussions encourage kids and adults alike to find personal connections to cultural themes and values in the story and talk through big ideas in ways that are uniquely relevant to each community served.
Responsibilities
- Host sites work in partnership with NJCH to bring Prime Time Family Reading to their communities, recruiting 15-25 families to participate, dedicating existing staff to the administration of the program, and running the weekly sessions.
- NJCH provides training, assistance with program development, and funding to support program costs, including books, meals, giveaways, program team stipends, and other expense categories.
- For more details, review the Guidelines.
More Information About Prime Time
Application (Opens October 1)
- This program is open to public libraries across New Jersey.
- Programs in this application cycle must take place in either the spring or fall of 2026.
- Eligible organizations must have an account in our grants administration system in order to apply. Login or set up a new account by clicking "Apply Now" below or at njhumanities.org/portal.
- Deadline: November 20, 2025.
Contact
For questions about this program, please contact Gigi Naglak at gnaglak@njhumanities.org.
