Summer Reading Program

New Mexico State Seal

The Challenge

The New Mexico Public Education Department’s (NM PED) Summer Reading program took off, but staff were stuck manually managing thousands of sign-ups. Marketing drove interest, but without the right tech, the system couldn’t scale.

The Solution

A custom bilingual platform supported by a statewide creative campaign. The tech streamlined everything, with fast family sign-ups, school roster uploads, and real-time tracking, while targeted messaging drove a surge in interest.

Silhouettes of human faces with 'human centered' title

17K+ registrations in 2025 (up from 9K), all managed through the new platform.

10MM+ impressions 2.9MM video views 21K clicks

PED gained real-time dashboards and reporting, replacing manual spreadsheets

Experience the Platform
Full home page preview of the Summer Reading Program

The Situation

In 2024, PED launched Summer Reading with a goal of 6,000 students.

Sign-ups came fast, many with multiple kids, while PED rushed to hire instructors and process background checks. Staff managed it all by hand, juggling spreadsheets and duplicate entries. By the end of summer, over 9,000 students had enrolled, proving the demand but exposing fragile infrastructure.

The Strategy

2024

Launch a bilingual website and statewide campaign to drive awareness and sign-ups quickly. Ads ran across TikTok, YouTube, CTV, display, and OOH. The push worked but revealed data gaps and manual bottlenecks.

2025

Build for scale. A custom registration platform allowed multi-student profiles, pre-filled fields, automated notifications, and real-time dashboards. Schools could import rosters directly, and parents could download I-Station reading reports. Marketing spend dynamically shifted to under-enrolled sites with refreshed creative to maintain momentum.

Snapshot of the Program Overview section from the Summer Reading Program website

What We Delivered

  • A mobile-friendly, bilingual registration platform
  • Seamless sign-up with multi-student profiles and pre-filled data
  • Automated notifications, real-time dashboards, and custom reports
  • Direct roster imports for schools; I-Station integration for parents
  • Targeted statewide campaign: TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, CTV, display, audio, OOH

Results

17,000+

student registrations in 2025, nearly doubling 2024’s total of 9,000.

Reading mentor and a student having a laugh

TikTok

strongest traffic driver (0.62% CTR)

2025

3.4MM impressions vs. 2.5MM projected

Pinterest

exceeded benchmarks (0.43% CTR, low CPC)

OOH

presence in libraries, schools, malls, gyms, and family centers statewide

Pinterest

exceeded benchmarks (0.43% CTR, low CPC)

All registrations streamlined

through the new platform, replacing manual spreadsheets

Why It Worked

Awareness and infrastructure worked hand-in-hand. Families saw consistent, bilingual messaging that led to a frictionless sign-up experience. The platform provided PED with real-time tools to manage enrollment, while adaptive media filled open sites, turning a scrappy pilot into a statewide system that doubled participation.

Key Insights

  • Marketing and tech worked as one system
  • Scaling simplified the process rather than complicating it
  • Real-time data made dollars more effective
  • Thoughtful design built family trust
  • Year one’s lessons created year two’s blueprint
Teacher giving an excited look to students working in a book with a large green frog illustration