Humanities Nebraska (HN) has announced Prime Time Family Reading and Prime Time Preschool will be held at 23 locations beginning today in Norfolk, with other sites in Grand Island, Hastings, Lexington, Lincoln, Madison, Millard, Norfolk, Omaha and Ralston starting in the weeks that follow. Each series is a free six-week program with storytelling and discussion based on award-winning children’s books at public libraries, elementary schools, and community centers across the state. Participants are also served a light meal with each session.
Prime Time Family Reading is for families with children ages 6-10 who struggle with reading. Prime Time Preschool is for families who want their children ages 3-5 to develop reading readiness skills.
These HN family literacy programs help strengthen participants’ interests and skills in reading and talking about books. A 10-year analysis published by Prime Time creators found that children who attend Prime Time Family Reading show a 95-100% improvement on achievement tests through elementary school and 81% improvement on high school exit exams.
Humanities Nebraska has helped hundreds communities across Nebraska since 1973 and have events and grant programs that have even reached the panhandle. In 2023 alone, they reached 144 communities across the state.
Just this year, HN sent $2,000 to Scottsbluff’s Meadowlark Hearth Living Environment Foundation and $2,000 to Sidney for their Gold Rush Days Festival speakers.