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ODE Extra Credit
Libraries Help
Fight the Summer Slide
By Angie Jacobsen
School may be out for summer, but learning is always in season at your
local library. Ohio's public libraries serve a critical function in
summer learning, in many cases, acting as the only safety net against
the “summer slide” — the documented decrease in reading proficiency of
students who do not read during summer vacation. The stakes for
children who do not read during the summer are high. Substantial
research on this topic shows that elementary school students who lose
reading skills during the summer will be two years behind their
classmates by the end of sixth grade. It's usually the students who can
least afford to lose ground as readers who are most likely to suffer
from summer reading loss and fall behind their peers. Parents and
teachers alike have long asserted that regular use of the local library
improves children’s reading dramatically. Summer vacation is the
perfect time to explore all the library’s resources and programs.
Every public library in Ohio offers a summer reading program for
children with organized activities, projects, games and incentives to
promote reading during the summer months. This year’s theme is
“Libraries Rock” and includes a variety of musical activities from
making instruments to dance parties. For hundreds of thousands of
Ohio’s kids, these programs develop positive attitudes about reading
and strengthen the skills they learned during the previous school year.
Preventing the “summer slide” continues to be the main objective of
summer reading programs.
Ohio’s public libraries provide quality learning activities that are
fun and encourage some of the best techniques identified by research as
being important to the reading process such as storytelling and book
discussions. Librarians know how to connect kids with books and
encourage readers, especially those who are reluctant, with different
formats such as eBooks, magazines, audiobooks or comics. Families can
try out digital formats and borrow devices such as tablets, MP3 players
and even Wi-Fi hot spots.
Parents often indicate that summer is the most difficult time to find
productive things for kids to do. For many families, the public library
is the only community space available during the summer where they can
access free educational activities. Libraries also are natural spaces
for serving meals to children whose access to lunch disappears when
school is out. Free summer lunches are available at more than 120
libraries across the state. To find a location, visit
education.ohio.gov/kidseat.
In addition to reading, children can participate in activities at the
library that support their curiosity and creativity including physical
makerspaces, coding classes, production studios for digital media,
virtual reality and more. Many libraries offer hands-on science and
math activities that let kids brainstorm, problem solve and work
together on projects. By taking an informal and playful (and sometimes
messy and loud!) approach, libraries see these activities as
opportunities for children to further their sense of discovery.
Children who join summer library programs keep their brains active and
enter school in the fall ready to succeed. An Ohio Public Library
Directory is available at
https://library.ohio.gov/using-the-library/find-an-ohio-library/. Check
your local library’s website for a calendar of summer activities to see
how you can keep kids reading and learning all summer long!
Angie Jacobsen is the director of Communications for the Ohio Library
Council. The Ohio Library Council is the statewide professional
association that represents the interests of Ohio’s 251 public library
systems, their trustees, friends groups, and staffs.
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