To meet the growing demand for our Prime Time Family Reading program, we’re buying 1,000 new books for New Jersey families before April. After a hugely successful pilot year, we’re expanding to two more sites in 2026: Willingboro Public Library and South Plainfield Public Library, bringing us to four sites providing critical reading intervention to children ages 6-10 and their families.
Can you chip in to get books into kids' hands and hearts?
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.
The application is now closed.
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? Watch the recording of our virtual information session from October 23.
Participation requires recruitment, program administration, and running weekly sessions. Prime Time Family Reading hosts receive an award of $6,500 to support the planning and implementation of their programs.
For questions about this program, please contact Gigi Naglak at gnaglak@njhumanities.org.
