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Young people sign up for summer reading at Beatties Ford Road Library. This year, 17,138 children and teens participated in the library's summer reading program, documenting more than 184,000 hours read. |
Library's Summer Reading program kept thousands of kids reading this summer. Children who read, succeed. Those few words sum up why the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's summer reading program is so important. Along with our partner, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, we believe that reading and literacy in children and teens is a strong predictor of educational attainment and career success. The library is making an impact on the youngest children and their parents, building critical preliteracy skills to prepare young children for school. In fact, 96% of parents or caregivers who attended library programs with their preschool children indicated they are better prepared to continue developing pre-reading skills with their children, to better prepare them for school. For school-aged children, several studies have shown that the academic gains made during each school year can erode significantly between Memorial Day and Labor Day if children do not read. According to one researcher,"Summer reading setback is one of the important factors contributing to the reading achievement gap between rich and poor children." This is particularly worrisome for two reasons: First, students who are struggling with reading in the third grade are likely to have trouble in all subjects, because reading is so essential to learning in grades four through 12. Second, reading is becoming an even more essential skill for all students, as North Carolina and other states move toward Common Core Standards in which literacy (reading) is embedded in all parts of the curriculum. The more children read, the better their fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. The Library's Summer Reading Program for children and teens is helping to address this critical issue by encouraging reading during the summer months. Interestingly, the number of books read during the summer can make a difference. Studies suggest that reading four to six books over the summer helps readers maintain their skills, and reading ten to twenty books helps improve their skills. Or, as one researcher puts it, "Free voluntary reading is the best way to better reading and language development." This year, 17,138 children and teens participated in the library's summer reading program, documenting more than 184,000 hours read. And library programs engage children and teens with learning-based activities during the summer, with 1,108 library programs reaching 43,808 children and teens this summer. For teens, the library's very successful Teen Summer Volunteer program involved 100teens providing more than 3,845 hours of volunteer support, from shelving books to reading to young children, while giving teens valuable developmental skills that they will use as they complete high school and prepare for college and the workplace. Finally, the library's outreach efforts have reached many children who could not come to the library this summer. For example, through seven weekly outreach programs on the Reid Park school campus, in the West Boulevard corridor, we registered 58 children for the Library's summer reading program in addition to providing a rich, literacy-based experience. 94% of students stated that they enjoyed reading more since participating in the program, and 100% of their parents stated that they are encouraged to read to their child throughout the year as a result of the program. The library is building readers who will be prepared to succeed in school, the workplace, and in life. | 
Romare Bearden Exhibit at ImaginOn