Celebrating Children Day 2026 was one for the books! 🎉
This past Saturday, we welcomed an estimated 4,000 attendees for a day full of fun, learning, and community connection. From the 1 Mile Fun Run with 1,500 participants to 74 local resources and vendors, this year’s festival was our biggest and most engaging yet!
Together with our partners, we helped raise $34,000 to support important programs and initiatives in our community. 💙
A huge THANK YOU to all of our incredible vendors, partners, and volunteers who made this event possible—and to everyone who came out to celebrate with us. Your support is what makes events like this so special.
Partners:
-VBGrowSmart @vbgrowsmart
-VB Public Library @vbplibrary
-VB Dept. of Public Health @vbphf
-VB City Public Schools
Sponsors:
-Friends of the Library
-Sentara @sentarahealth
-Clark Nexsen @clarknexsen
-Ukrainian Community Center
-Cultural Affairs @vabeacharts
-Jimmy John’s @jimmyjohns
We can’t wait to see you next year! ✨
#CelebratingChildren #VBStrong #CommunityMatters #VBLibraryFoundation
Join us as we celebrate the joy and growth of our community at Celebrating Children 💙✨
This FREE, family-friendly event is packed with fun for all ages—from a community Fun Run to games, crafts, inflatables, community resources ,live entertainment, and hands-on activities that support early learning and healthy development
Bring the whole family out for a day full of smiles, movement, and meaningful connections in the community
Don’t miss it—be sure to register today using the link in our bio and or our highlights !
#CelebratingChildren #VBGrowSmart #FamilyFun #EarlyLearning #VBEvents CommunityMatters
Gearing up for National Library Giving Day on April 1st 📚✨
Libraries do so much more than just lend books—they create community, provide resources, and open doors for everyone. 💚
If you’re able, consider supporting us this year. Every donation makes a difference!
Donate through the link in our bio 🔗
#LibraryGivingDay #SupportYourLibrary #CommunityMatters #GiveBack
$28,000.00 Secured in Sponsorship
5,797 Children Impacted
315 Classrooms Across Virginia Beach Participated
Celebrating the power of literacy at our 2026 Read Across America Day Impact Celebration 📚
We’re so grateful to everyone who joined us in making this day so special for our community. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible sponsors, partners, and volunteers- your support made this day of literacy truly magical! 🪄
Together, we’re inspiring a love of reading that will last a lifetime.
This small breakfast gathering was a powerful reminder of what community and investment can make possible!
@unitedwayofshr@beachmunicipal@cityofvabeach@thenoblemenvb@townebanksocial@AnthemHealthKeepers@dollartree
##readacrossamerica
#vbreads
#literacymatters❤️
Happy Read Across America Day!! Thank you to all of our volunteer readers ❤️and VB GrowSmart for coordinating a city-wide celebration!! 📚📖
@vbgrowsmart
What an incredible Read Across America Day 2026 in Virginia Beach! 📚 💫
We were honored to welcome author @carmenoliver9013 whose book “Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies” was featured for this year’s celebration. Sharing the joy of reading with our young learners made the day truly special!
We were also grateful to have members of @vb_libraryfoundation board stop by to greet some of our amazing readers, including Mayor Bobby Dyer, Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson, Councilman Cash Jackson- Green, and Housing Director Ruth Hill, and many other amazing and dedicated community leaders.
@bobbydyervb@cashjacksongreen@rosemarywilsonvb
Thank you to our incredible community partners and sponsors - who help make events like this possible. Together, we’re inspiring a love of reading in Virginia Beach- one story at a time 📚 🌟
@thenoblemenvb@townebanksocial@unitedwayofshr@beachmunicipal@dollartree@vb_libraryfoundation
Anthem Health Keepers Plus
Square One
#nea #readacrossamericaday2026 #investinlibraries
✨We’re gearing up for 2026 Read Across America Day ✨
Read Across America Day remains a signature Virginia Beach GrowSmart program, proudly supported by @vb_libraryfoundation and we couldn’t be more excited!
Join @vbplibrary on Friday, March 6, 2026, as we celebrate the love of literacy with our incredible childcare centers across Virginia Beach. We’re especially thrilled to welcome author Carmen Oliver, who will help make this day truth unforgettable!
A heartfelt thank you to our amazing sponsors whose support makes this magical day of literacy possible:
@thenoblemenvb@townebanksocial@anthemhealthkeepers@beachmunicipal
Stay tuned for more event details coming soon!
#literacymatters
#nationaleducationassociation
#carmenoliver
#bearsmakethebestreadingbuddies
#cityofvirginiabeach
📚LITERACY INVESTMENT📚
We’re gearing up for 2026 Read Across America Day - what we like to call “the magical day of literacy!” 📕 🪄
A heartfelt thank you to @beachmunicipal for joining us as a Gold Sponsor 👏👏
We’ll be brining the joy of reading to over 6K children across Virginia Beach on March 6, 2026!
Special thanks to our phenomenal 2026 sponsors for helping us spread the love of reading:
@thenoblemenvb@townebanksocial
Together, we’re turning the page toward a brighter future 💫
If you’re interested in being a sponsor for 2026 Read Across America Day - feel free to DM us.
#nationaleducationassociation
#2026RAAD
#thingstodovirginiabeach
#literacymatters📚
#communityinvestment
#authorcarmenoliver
Community Investment!
Last Tuesday, we had the pleasure of connecting with Sonya Moore, Area Manager of Mathnasium Pembroke. We are grateful to all the Mathnasium in Virginia Beach for coming together and choosing Virginia Beach GrowSmart as their featured nonprofit of the month.
We truly appreciate the opportunity and look forward to collaborating with Mathnasium on future educational projects.
#communityinvestment
#educationmatters
#mathnasium
Meet Our Incredible LENA Start Instructors‼️
Teresa Hunt, Stacey O’Donnell, and Amy Borden are the powerhouse team behind our LENA Start program- helping parents and children build strong brains through rich, back-and-forth conversations.
Each of these dedicated educators commits 10 weeks per cohort to deliver hands-on, high quality session that empower parents and set their children on the path to lifelong success.
GrowSmart is truly grateful for their passion and commitment to early childhood education!
Interested in joining our next LENA Start session?
Send us a DM😀
#earlychildhooddevelopment #esrlychildhoodeducation #thingstodovirginiabeach #earlychildhoodkinvestments
@lenaearlytalk
ANNOUNCEMENT 📣 🚨
Meet our New GrowSmart Coordinator 😀
Josetta Thomae, PhD is a clinical service provider, educator, and systems strategist with 20 years of experience supporting youth and families across early intervention, public education, and juvenile justice settings.
She holds a PhD in Infant and Early Childhood Development with an emphasis in mental health, developmental disorders, and reflective supervision. Josetta currently serves as the Chairperson for the Eastern Chapter of the Virginia Association of Infant Mental Health and is a steering committee member of the Hampton Roads Trauma Informed Care Network.
A passionate advocate for equity and trauma-informed systems, she has provided training across disciplines on early development, inclusive practices, and resilience-building strategies.
She brings both deep field experience and a collaborative spirit to her work transforming systems of care for children and families and is thrilled to serve as the new GrowSmart Coordinator.
We’re passionate about being out in the community and helping families connect with early childhood education resources.
If you’re hosting an upcoming outreach event that aligns with our mission, send us a DM- we’d love to join and share valuable information with families.
#earlychildhoodeducation
#commuunityoutreach
#cityofvirginiabeach
#thingstodovb
