44 state leaders encourage summer learning as Reading Ambassadors

Today we are excited to announce that 41 Governors’ Spouses, 2 Governors and 1 Lieutenant Governor representing the U.S. States and territories who have signed on to serve as Reading Ambassadors for the 2018 Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge!

Findings from the Kids & Family Reading Report™: 6th Edition show us that 80% of kids ages 6–17 agree that summer reading will help them during the school year, but one in five children from lower-income families did not read any books at all during the break from school. To help provide more kids with access to books and to tackle the summer slide, the 2018 Reading Ambassadors have donated 500 Scholastic books to schools in their states and hosted read-aloud events in their communities to highlight the importance of summer learning.

Check out these great photos from events hosted by the First Lady of Indiana Janet Holcomb, Hawaii’s First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige, and First Lady of New Hampshire Valerie Sununu.

Scholastic thanks the following Governors, Governors’ Spouses and Lieutenant Governors for serving as Reading Ambassadors for the 2018 Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge:

• Alabama – Governor Kay Ivey
• Alaska – First Lady Donna Walker
• American Samoa – First Lady Cynthia Malala Moliga
• Arizona – First Lady Angela Ducey
• Arkansas – First Lady Susan Hutchinson
• Colorado – First Lady Robin Hickenlooper
• Connecticut – First Lady Cathy Malloy
• Delaware – First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney
• Georgia – First Lady Sandra Deal
• Guam – First Lady Christine Sonido Calvo
• Hawaii – First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige
• Illinois – First Lady Diana Rauner
• Indiana – First Lady Janet Holcomb
• Iowa – First Gentleman Kevin Reynolds
• Kentucky – First Lady Glenna Bevin
• Maine – First Lady Ann LePage
• Maryland – First Lady Yumi Hogan
• Massachusetts – First Lady Lauren Baker
• Michigan – First Lady Sue Snyder
• Minnesota – Governor Mark Dayton
• Mississippi – First Lady Deborah Bryant
• Missouri – First Lady Teresa Parson
• Montana – First Lady Lisa Bullock
• Nebraska – First Lady Susanne Shore
• New Hampshire – First Lady Valerie Sununu
• New Mexico – First Gentleman Chuck Franco
• New York – Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul
• North Carolina – First Lady Kristin Cooper
• North Dakota – First Lady Kathryn Helgaas Burgum
• Ohio – First Lady Karen W. Kasich
• Oklahoma – First Gentleman Wade Christensen
• Oregon – First Gentleman Dan Little
• Pennsylvania – First Lady Frances Wolf
• Rhode Island – First Gentleman Andy Moffit
• South Dakota – First Lady Linda Daugaard
• Tennessee – First Lady Crissy Haslam
• Texas – First Lady Cecilia Abbott
• Utah – First Lady Jeanette Herbert
• Vermont – First Lady Diana Scott
• Virginia – First Lady Pam Northam
• Washington – First Lady Trudi Inslee
• West Virginia – First Lady Cathy Justice
• Wisconsin – First Lady Tonette Walker
• Wyoming – First Lady Carol Mead