WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Second Lady Usha Vance announced the launch of her second annual Summer Reading Challenge on June 1, 2026. The program runs through September 4, 2026.
The nationwide initiative is open to children in kindergarten through eighth grade. To complete the challenge, participants must read 12 books of their choice and submit a reading log. Upon completion, participants receive a personalized certificate, an America 250th anniversary-themed bookmark, and a special link to claim a prize. They are also entered into a raffle for a chance to visit Washington, D.C. and the White House with a chaperone.
This year’s program builds on a pilot that attracted more than 20,000 participants from all 50 states and multiple U.S. territories in its first year. Vance said the program has expanded this year with a larger national rollout, including partnerships with schools, libraries, and other institutions across the country.
The program is framed around the issue of summer learning loss. In 2024, only 31% of fourth graders and 30% of eighth graders were reading above the proficient level for their grade, and literacy levels can decline further over summer as students may lose up to two to three months of reading skills acquired during the school year.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is among the program’s partners. IMLS Acting Director Keith Sonderling said the challenge “reinforces the skills and important lessons that our students learned during the school year while addressing the summer slide, cultivating intellectual curiosity, and fostering a lifelong love of books.”
As part of the campaign’s rollout, Vance visited the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs on May 28, where she read aloud to approximately 50 schoolchildren alongside two-time Olympic medalist and world champion wrestler Adeline Gray.
