At Dysart Unified, book fairs are a way to bring families onto campus and connect them to reading.
Students with greater access to books are far more likely to read frequently and enjoy it—a reminder that where and how students encounter books matters.
School-based events like book fairs can help close that gap, but only if families know about them and can easily take part.
In ParentSquare’s webinar, Turning Pages with Posts: Growing Your Scholastic Book Fair with Strategic School Communication, district leaders and practitioners shared how clear, early, and accessible communication helps schools reach more families and increase participation.
& Public Relations
Dysart Unified School District (AZ)
Dysart Community Coalition
Scholastic Book Fairs
ParentSquare
Book fairs support district literacy goals
For Renee Ryon, Director of Communications at Dysart Unified, book fairs aren’t just about sales. They’re a way to bring families onto campus and connect them to learning.
That connection matters. Literacy and family engagement work better when schools treat them as connected priorities.
Access is a big part of that.
Not every family can easily get to a bookstore. Bringing books onto campus makes them more accessible to students and families. Cindy Herman of Scholastic Book Fairs emphasized that this is where book fairs have the most impact: putting books directly into students’ hands while bringing families into the school community.
Takeaway: As students get older, reading engagement drops. Book fairs create a moment for discovery, where students and families can find books they’re actually excited about.
One coordinated system changes how schools reach families
Starting early helps—but timing alone doesn’t drive participation.
At Dysart, outreach begins four to five weeks before the fair, with schools setting expectations early in the year so families know what’s coming.
What makes the bigger difference is how that outreach is coordinated.
As Jayme Gillen-Weismann noted, ParentSquare changed the process. Schools can send messages quickly across channels through the same system families already rely on for district, school, and teacher communications. Families expect updates in ParentSquare with easy access to event times, dates, locations, RSVPs, volunteer sign-ups, and more.
She also stressed that teacher involvement helps, since book fairs support classroom goals and curriculum.
Takeaway: Participation grows when schools start early, coordinate outreach across roles, and reach families through one connected system.
Participation grows when schools remove barriers
Participation doesn’t just depend on awareness. It depends on what gets in the way.
Jayme Gillen-Weismann shared how small changes can make a big difference. Buy one, get one fairs can be especially meaningful in Title I communities, helping more students access books while supporting summer reading. Programs like Share the Fair help close funding gaps so more students can leave with books in hand.
From the district perspective, Renee Ryon sees the same pattern at scale. Dysart has 99.5% contactability across a community that speaks 52 languages. ParentSquare’s translation and two-way communication help remove barriers that once limited participation. Instead of relying on one- or two-language workflows, schools can now deliver information to families in their preferred languages and receive direct responses.
This is where communication has the most impact—not just promoting an event, but making it easier for every family to take part.
Takeaway: When schools remove language, access, and response barriers, more families can participate.
One trusted place for communication and action
ParentSquare helps schools move from announcement to action.
Instead of sending families to multiple tools, schools can manage everything around the book fair in one place—updates, volunteer signups, wish lists, payments, RSVPs, and reminders. They can even bring resources from Scholastic’s Host Hub into posts and share those updates across mobile and web. That makes it easier not just to share information, but to follow through.
The same system supports the work behind the scenes. Schools can organize volunteers by task and date, repeat shifts across multiple days, and keep everything aligned without adding extra coordination.
That consistency extends to websites and social media posts as well. With Smart Sites, schools can keep posts, calendars, and updates in sync so families always see current information.
The result is simpler execution. Schools aren’t just promoting the event—they’re managing it in the same system they use to reach families.
Takeaway: ParentSquare helps schools coordinate outreach, calendars, volunteers, reminders, translation, and follow-through in one connected system.
Continue the conversation
This is just a snapshot of how districts are rethinking book fairs—not as standalone events, but as part of a broader approach to family engagement and literacy.
Watch the on-demand session to see how district leaders are putting these ideas into practice—from early coordination to barrier removal to turning communication into action.