- The WOW Bus is a mobile literacy initiative by Valdosta City Schools, providing free books to students year-round.
- Studies show students can lose up to 20% of reading retention over summer break, and the WOW Bus helps prevent that.
- Watch the video to hear student's reactions.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
It's not your typical school bus—no rows of seats, no morning routes. Instead, the Wildcats on Wheels bus, or WOW Bus, is packed with books—and excitement.
For second grader Joseph Berry, it's a ticket to new words and stories.
"You learn more words and sentences."
And for his classmate Marie Strickland, reading is already a family tradition.
"I love that. I love reading. My family already has a lot of books at home."
The WOW Bus is Valdosta City Schools' way of making sure every child has books, no matter where they live. Kendal Crawford, Director of Instructional Technology and Media, says it's a game changer.
"I love seeing the joy that it brings our students and it's getting them excited about reading again because they're just used to being on devices and so the WOW Bus brings excitement back to a good old-fashioned book."
Studies from the American Educator Journal for Reading Statistics show kids can lose up to 20% of what they learned over summer break. Crawford says the WOW Bus is here to help.
"When they're not in school you know when they're not practicing something every day, they might you know their academic progress might not excel forward so this way we're backing continue reading over the summer it can help continue to push them."
It's already a hit, making its debut at the district's Trunk-or-Treat event. Now, the goal is to take it into neighborhoods—welcoming kids on board to pick out books and even play some Nintendo.
And they're just getting started. To keep the shelves stocked, Valdosta City Schools is asking for book donations to help bring more stories to more students.
In Valdosta, I'm Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC27.
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