Summer Reading Slide : Summer Reading Program for K-3

The Summer Slide: Summer is a time for relaxation, sunshine, vacations, and… reading loss?

It’s estimated that a child loses two months of learning each summer, which accumulates each year, totaling almost two years of learning loss by the time they graduate high school.

This epidemic of the summer slide widely impacts all children, but more specifically those in disadvantaged and low-income families. Kids Read Now has made it our mission to combat the summer slide through a proven, in-home summer reading program.

More about the importance of summer reading

Summer reading isn’t just about diverting their eyes from a screen to a book; it’s about keeping children’s minds ready to retain critical information. Even more so, studies show that summer reading bridges the achievement gap between the economic status of advantaged and disadvantaged children.

When schools close for the summer, reading opportunities diminish, especially for economically disadvantaged students without access to books. Some students live in book deserts, and without the oasis of an accessible home library will fall victim to the summer slide and widen the achievement gap.

This gap has a cumulative effect as students develop and progress academically and can account for significant increases in high school dropout rates and decreases in four-year college attendance.

From kindergarten to third grade, children learn to read. From fourth grade forward, children read to learn. Children who aren’t reading at grade level by the fourth grade are at increased risk to endure social and financial hardships throughout their lives, such as higher dropout rates, poverty rates, and incarceration rates.

Reading encompasses a myriad of subjects: math, science, social skills, etc. When a child reads, they exercise imagination and creativity, and they learn essential social and life skills to help them as they grow.

What is KRN doing about The Summer Slide?

Kids Read Now isn’t an average reading program. The difference? Kids are in charge.

Studies have shown that reading programs are most effective when children have access to self-selected books. Children are more likely to read voluntarily when they are in charge of choosing the book and subject matter. It’s more exciting and provides the child with an element of control.

How the program works

Designed for K-3 students, the KRN summer program allows students to select books from a large and diverse library of educator-approved titles. These books are delivered directly to the students’ homes, and they get to keep them forever!

Each book delivery comes with questions to aid students in comprehension and help parents engage with their child’s reading. Students who report reading every book on their list receive a completion certificate, a reward, and a celebration in Fall.

Kids Read Now sends weekly reminder calls, texts, or emails to the parents encouraging them to engage and connect with their child about the book they are currently reading.

A new study on the program, led by Geoffrey D. Borman, Ph.D., at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, found that, “Results indicate that the impact of KRN can more than eradicate the entire two months of summer learning loss experienced by low-income students.”

In short, the KRN summer reading program is eliminating the summer reading slide for students across the country.

Summer reading is vital to the success of our children’s education. If you are interested in learning more about the program, please reach out to us. Let’s work together to bridge the achievement gap for all students and families!

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