Jacksonville's River City Readers pairs kids with shelter pets for literacy event
Second graders from Fort Caroline Elementary read to animals at ACPS as part of a citywide literacy program that has logged more than 3 million reading minutes since 2023.
Dozens of second graders from Fort Caroline Elementary School visited Jacksonville's Animal Care and Protective Services facility on September 23 to read aloud to shelter pets, part of a special River City Readers event that paired the city's literacy initiative with its animal-welfare operations. Mayor Donna Deegan joined the students at the ACPS shelter, where children practiced reading skills while helping calm anxious animals awaiting adoption.
The event also featured the River City Readers Bookmobile, from which each student selected a free book to take home. Deegan read to the children and welcomed them aboard the mobile library, marking the latest community activation of a literacy program that has logged more than 3 million reading minutes across Jacksonville since its 2023 launch.
What's happening
The September 23 event brought second graders from Fort Caroline Elementary School to the ACPS facility at 2020 Forest St. in Jacksonville. Students read aloud to shelter pets during the visit, an activity shown to calm anxious animals, lower their stress levels, and help them become more adoptable, according to the city.
Mayor Deegan participated in the event, reading to the children and hosting them on the River City Readers Bookmobile. Each student picked out a free book to take home from the mobile library.
River City Readers, the citywide literacy initiative, launched in 2023. Since then, children across Jacksonville have collectively read more than 3 million minutes as part of the program.
The event was a collaboration between two city departments: Animal Care and Protective Services and the Jacksonville Public Library system.
How reading programs support early literacy
Reading-to-animals events represent a growing intersection of literacy education and animal welfare. For young readers, the activity offers a low-pressure environment to practice reading skills. Shelter animals, which often experience stress in kennel settings, benefit from the calm, interactive human contact.
For elementary students still building fluency, reading to a non-judgmental listener can reduce performance anxiety that sometimes accompanies classroom read-alouds. The format allows children to set their own pace and self-correct without fear of peer evaluation.
Fort Caroline Elementary School, located in the Arlington area of eastern Duval County, serves students in a neighborhood where literacy programming dovetails with the district's broader push for early-grade reading proficiency. Events that make reading a rewarding social activity, rather than a test-prep chore, are part of the strategy to build sustained reading habits.
What River City Readers means for Jacksonville families
The River City Readers initiative is designed to increase reading engagement among Jacksonville children through community events and the mobile Bookmobile. The program's 3 million minutes of collective reading time since 2023 translates to sustained participation across Duval County schools and neighborhoods.
By distributing free books through the Bookmobile, the program addresses a persistent barrier to reading at home: access to age-appropriate, interesting books. For families where purchasing books is a budget stretch, the free-book giveaways can meaningfully expand a child's home library.
The program operates under the Jacksonville Public Library system, a municipal department funded by the city budget. River City Readers events typically rotate through different schools and community sites, extending the reach of the library system beyond its brick-and-mortar branches. Families interested in the program can find upcoming events and resources at Jacksonville. gov/RiverCityReaders.
Pairing literacy events with other city services—such as the animal shelter—demonstrates how municipal departments can collaborate to serve multiple goals. In this case, the library gains a novel venue and narrative to promote reading, while ACPS benefits from community foot traffic and positive exposure for adoptable animals.
Supporting shelter pets through community engagement
Animal Care and Protective Services, the city's shelter and animal-control agency, houses dozens of dogs, cats, and other animals at any given time. The shelter's adoption outcomes improve when animals are calm, socialized, and comfortable around people—all qualities reinforced by events like the reading visit.
Reading to shelter pets has become a recognized enrichment activity in animal welfare. The quiet, steady presence of a child reading helps acclimate animals to human voices and proximity, which can make them more confident and appealing to prospective adopters. For animals recovering from stray intake or surrender, the interaction provides positive stimulus in an otherwise stressful environment.
ACPS is located at 2020 Forest St. on Jacksonville's Northside, a facility that serves the entire Duval County area. Families interested in adopting a pet can visit the shelter during operating hours or review available animals online at Jacksonville. gov/ACPS. Adoption fees typically include spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, and microchipping.
Community events at the shelter also serve a public-education function, familiarizing children and families with the shelter's role and the realities of pet adoption. For students who may not have pets at home, the visit offers supervised interaction with animals and a tangible lesson in civic infrastructure—the shelter is a city service their families help fund.
What happens next
River City Readers continues to schedule events across Jacksonville schools and community sites. Families can track upcoming Bookmobile visits and reading events through the program's webpage at Jacksonville. gov/RiverCityReaders.
Fort Caroline Elementary and other Duval County schools are likely to see additional River City Readers programming throughout the school year, part of the city's ongoing effort to boost literacy engagement. Schools interested in hosting a Bookmobile visit or partnering on reading events can coordinate through the Jacksonville Public Library system.
Animal Care and Protective Services remains open for adoptions and community visits at its Forest Street location. Families who attended the reading event or others curious about shelter pets can visit during regular hours; details are available at Jacksonville. gov/ACPS.
The September 23 event illustrates a broader trend in Jacksonville's approach to city services: finding creative overlaps between departments to serve residents more effectively. As the city continues to grow—adding new neighborhoods, schools, and residents across Duval County—programs that combine education, community engagement, and public services offer a model for stretching municipal resources while building connections between residents and the institutions that serve them. Whether through a bookmobile visit, a shelter reading session, or another collaboration, the goal is the same: making Jacksonville a city where services meet people where they are.