For Immediate Release July 27, 2026
Media Contact: Amanda Groesbeck Email: agroesbeck@maconcountyschools.org
Macon County School District Partners with Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation to Bring Book Bus to Community
Macon County Schools, in partnership with Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation, establishes a mobile library that will bring literacy resources directly to children in the community
Lafayette, Tenn.— Macon County Schools, in partnership with Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF), announces the launch of a Book Bus that will bring books and literacy resources to neighborhoods in Macon County. Macon County Schools is one of five local partners in Tennessee that was awarded Book Bus grant funding from GELF in 2025. The bus will begin traveling in July 2026.
Through GELF’s Book Bus program, partnering school districts retrofit a decommissioned school bus with seating and shelving to house literacy resources. These Book Buses then travel to neighborhoods and community events year-round, creating an engaging learning space for families. Many serve communities faced with challenges to book access, such as library deserts or low-income neighborhoods, and partner with organizations offering additional services, such as food programs or health care providers. Educators distribute resources and lead reading workshops to combat learning loss and increase adult-child engagement with literacy.
According to a study conducted by New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, 45% of children in the U.S. live in neighborhoods that lack public libraries and bookstores, or in homes where books are not present. Book buses help address this gap by bringing books and educational resources directly to underserved communities, ensuring that children have access to the materials they need to develop strong literacy skills.
GELF launched its Book Bus program in 2018, in partnership with local school systems, to establish mobile libraries that provide children and communities with access to high-quality resources. Driven by a mission to strengthen early literacy in Tennessee, GELF’s Book Bus program aims to combat student learning loss and promote a culture of reading outside of school by providing continued access to high-quality books and literacy tools.
“We are very proud of the Book Bus program and are grateful for the local partners in every community, who make this initiative possible,” said James Pond, GELF President. “By bringing mobile libraries directly to Tennessee neighborhoods, we want to meet kids where they are, where they play, where they live, with the resources they need to continue reading and learning outside of the classroom.”
GELF provides two different grant opportunities for interested partners to launch or support an existing Book Bus in their community. The annual grant cycle opens in the Spring. With support from Delta Dental of Tennessee and other corporate funding partners, GELF has provided grant funding to support 53 Book Buses.
For more information on how to apply or locate a bus near you, visit GovernorsFoundation.org or email bookbus@governorsfoundation.org.
About Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation
Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) equips Tennessee’s children with books and innovative literacy tools that encourage lifelong learning for a brighter future. GELF is a non-partisan 501c3 driven by a mission to strengthen early literacy in Tennessee by acting as a thought leader, advisor, and catalyst for programs across the state. These programs include Birth-5 Book Delivery through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, K-3 Home Library, Caregiver Engagement, Book Buses, and Storybook Trails. GELF was founded in 2004 by former Gov. Phil Bredesen as a public-private partnership to sustain Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Tennessee, giving all birth to age five children the opportunity to receive books in the mail at no cost to families. GELF has grown from solely a book-gifting program to an early literacy organization driven by a vision where all Tennessee children have access to the resources, guidance and support they need to become lifelong learners. For more information, visit www.GovernorsFoundation.org or www.facebook.com/GovEarlyLiteracyTN, or call toll-free at (877) 99-BOOKS.