Summer Reading Programs Help Children’s Literacy

Libraries across the state are launching their summer reading program to help maintain children’s literary competency, and Clay County has an extra challenge to add to the fun.

Library Director Judith Cutright said the “Read With Me 100 Days” challenge is aiming to keep kids reading consistently throughout the summer to make sure they aren’t behind when school starts up in the fall.

“I have talked to some of the teachers and it takes a month, sometimes two months, to get children that don’t read over the summer back to a level where they are ready to engage in learning again,” said Cutright.

To incentivize children to read all throughout summer, Cutright said Clay County’s library will be giving out stuffed animals donated by Kohl’s.

“A lot of children, especially beginning readers, don’t always have someone who can sit down and read with them. The idea of the stuffed animals is even if they don’t have anyone who can read to them, they can read to the stuffed animals. That develops their speech, it develops their reading comprehension, it’s just a total package,” said Cutright.

She said she hopes parents will enroll their children in the program because reading is the basis for learning, and you can’t get through life without reading.

This year’s program is themed “Tails and Tales,” and children can expect to read books about animals and books about fairy tales. To get your children involved, visit the Clay County library to pick up reading logs.