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.
Join us for a Virtual Information Session on March 27 if you're interested in applying!
Seeking Partners
NJCH is proud to join the national network of Prime Time affiliates in 2025! We are looking for two public libraries in different parts of the state to serve as host sites as we pilot this program in the coming year.
We know from the experiences of our peers that this program has a significant impact, and we are excited to support work addressing family literacy and pandemic learning loss in the Garden State!
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
- The application period opens to eligible organizations on March 3, 2025.
- Eligible organizations must have an account in our grants administration system, Foundant, in order to apply.
- If your organization does not currently have an account with us, a new account can be created from the login page, or by clicking on this link.
- If you require technical assistance, please reach out to the program coordinator, Sylvester Cruz, at scruz@njhumanities.org.
- Deadline: May 7, 2025.
Contact
For information about the program and associated opportunities for funding, as well as any other questions, please contact Sylvester Cruz, Grants & Partnerships Coordinator, at scruz@njhumanities.org.
