July 13, 2016
National Summer Learning Day is July 14, 2016!

Low-income students lose an average of two months of reading skills over the summer. Over time, this summer learning loss can add up to the equivalent of three years of reading loss by the end of fifth grade.

Summer Learning Day is an annual national advocacy
day led by the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) to highlight the importance of keeping children learning, safe, and healthy all summer long. NSLA has put together a toolkit of resources you can use to help your community celebrate. In this kit, you will find: 
  • Talking points about summer learning 
  • Sample press release 
  • Social media copy for Facebook and Twitter 
  • Sample public service announcements 
  • Sample email and blog copy Mayor's Summer Learning Playbook 
  • And more 

Check out events going on throughout Rhode Island and the nation and add your own event to the Summer Learning Map.
Tools to Reduce Summer Learning Loss

The Rhode Island Campaign for Grade-Level Reading has put together a series of tip sheets for: 

No matter who you are, you have an exciting role to play in helping children keep reading and learning all summer long!
Providence's Summer of Learning Campaign

The City of Providence is collaborating with the Providence
Public School Department, libraries, and other local nonprofit organizations to launch a citywide Summer of Learning Campaign to help the city's children maintain their academic skills and continue learning all summer long. This Campaign includes a Summer Learning Expo that was held on May 14, 2016, to provide information to families about summer learning options and a Summer Learning Passport that includes free or reduced-price entrance to museums, zoos, and other community sites; a reading list; and online learning opportunities for children and their families.
Summer Meals

During the summer, many low-income children lose access to the free and reduced-price meals they rely on during the school year. The Summer Food Service Program provides lunches, breakfasts, and in some cases, suppers or snacks to children living in low-income areas when school is not in session. 

To find a summer meal site near you, consult this list or call Rhode Island United Way
2-1-1 for this information.
United Way Day of Action


Each year, on or around June 21st, communities across the country come together for a
Day of Action. At United Way of Rhode Island, the Day of Action is focused on literacy. Hundreds of people join together to sort, label, and package books collected through the Children's Book Drive. This year, United Way of Rhode Island, with community partners, collected 39,990 books for the annual United Way of Rhode Island and Books Are Wings Children's Book Drive. A total of 119 corporate and community volunteers participated in the Day of Action, contributing a total of 500 hours of service in just one day. Volunteers contribute their time because they want to help children fall in love with reading and provide the books that children need to avoid summer learning loss.
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