The Just Read, Florida! Office and the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), in partnership with Florida’s Office of Early Learning, school districts, Early Learning Coalitions and numerous other state organizations and agencies, are planning the fifth annual statewide Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! event. Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! 2013 is scheduled for the week of January 14-18, 2013, so mark your calendars now for this important week of events! The goals of Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! are to promote literacy throughout the state by raising awareness of the great things happening in school districts and coalitions. Most of all, the objective is to promote the enjoyment of reading for children and adults of all ages. As part of the Just Read, Florida! Celebrate Literacy Week, we are providing multiple opportunities for you as a program to support this effort and to promote literacy in your center/schools. Once again, we will sponsor the 26-second public service announcement (PSA) contest that celebrates and promotes the importance of literacy in the state of Florida. Students in private and public VPK programs are invited to participate in the PSA contest. This activity was a HUGE success for the past four years, and we are anxiously awaiting the creativity that your center/schools and students will bring to this competition for the 2013 event. This year we are continuing the theme, “Take the Lead and Read!” With the support of sponsorship from the Daytona International Speedway, we hope to “rev-up” the enthusiasm of students across Florida about literacy and reading. VPK providers must submit their 26-second PSA to their local area early learning coalition or school district for review. Each early learning coalition or school district may submit one PSA to the Just Read, Florida! Office to participate in this exciting contest. Additional information on the PSA contest is attached to this email, and we ask that you disperse all information to the VPK providers in order to allow ample time to produce the PSA. All PSA submissions are due to the Just Read, Florida! Office by November 30, 2012, and the winners will be announced during Celebrate Literacy Week at the Daytona International Speedway. In addition, the Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! simultaneous reading will take place once again. Additional information on this event will be forthcoming from Florida’s Office of Early Learning. For more information, please visit the Just Read, Florida! website at http://www.justreadflorida.com/ and go to the Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! link. We look forward to your participation in this literacy event and thank you for your commitment to making literacy the highest priority every day in your district and schools! Let’s celebrate together!