DALTON, Ga. — The importance of fostering a love of reading at an early age was on clear display Thursday afternoon at the Mack Gaston Community Center for the sixth annual Readers to Leaders Book Blast.

Greeting and checking people in to the event? Dalton Public Schools Interim Superintendent Don Amonett and Whitfield County Schools Superintendent Judy Gilreath.

But for the parents and their children, the event was equally important as it served as a kind of back-to-school kickoff and underscored for Denise Newman the vital role she says reading plays in any child’s education.

“I think that reading to a child and having them develop a love of reading and stories is the most important thing you can do for a child,” said Newman, who was there with four of her grandchildren, ages 6, 7, 8 and 11. “If they aren’t exposed early, it is hard to build that love of reading.”

Several storybook characters made appearances, including Curious George, Thing 1 from Dr. Seuss and a Minion. Also in attendance was Sparky, the Dalton Fire Department mascot.

Vendor booths from North Georgia EMC, WellCare Health Plans, Right from the Start Medicaid Outreach, Care Sources, Rice Family Chiropractic, Parents as Teachers, Northwest Georgia Regional Library System, Alliant Heath Plans and Chattanooga Allergy Clinic were set up in the gym, and storytelling groups were available as well.

But the main feature of the event was that every child in attendance received a book.

Building a love of reading early is the point of the Readers to Leaders initiative, which works with both Whitfield and Dalton school systems and community partners throughout the area. Stephanie Hogshead, who leads the initiative as a child development and learning coordinator with the Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership, said the effort is focused on building reading for ages 2-8. She said getting children exposed to reading before pre-kindergarten is a big push for educators who are battling disappointing reading numbers across the state.

“One of the biggest challenges is the socioeconomic climate for many in our area,” Hogshead said. “Even younger-aged-focused books can be expensive and a challenge for some families to afford, and we don’t want that to be the reason that a child doesn’t have a book. Anything that we can do as a community to start and foster early literacy is a success, and it is a big key to have that before they ever step into a classroom.”

Suzanne Harbin works with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. As the community coordinator for the Early Education Empowerment Zone that includes five northwest Georgia counties, she said she knows the challenges facing many families in the area, including socioeconomic and language barriers.

“You can tell from the percentage of our students who are on free and reduced lunches that things like books can sometimes be seen as an extravagance,” she said. “But it is key to reach those children 2 to 4 and develop those minds and readers as soon as possible. If we wait until they get to pre-K, then we have missed a crucial window.”

Hogshead said everyone loves a good story, and children especially love to hear a story from a loved one.

“What I tell people is tell your children stories,” Hogshead said. “It doesn’t matter if it is in English or Spanish or if it is a fancy book. Children want to hear stories and that will engage them and connect them to reading early.”