According to the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, a child who does not read proficiently by the end of the third grade is four times more likely to become a high school dropout.
It doesn’t stop there - literacy is connected to several facets of our society including crime rates, unemployment, health care, civic engagement and more. Yet, knowledge is power and the power to read can present opportunities for children to succeed at school, at home and in their communities as they grow.
As students take their summer break from school, reading to them and with them can help foster not only reading proficiency, but it can teach them something new. Reading can also stir up children’s imaginations, promoting their overall emotional well-being.
“According to the American Education Research Association, more than half of U.S. students experience summer learning losses five years in a row. These students on average lose nearly 40 percent of their school year gains. High-quality summer learning programs can make a difference in mitigating summer learning loss and closing the achievement and opportunity gaps.” - Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation
The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation shares research on summer learning loss here, along with children’s book recommendations by age.
Looking for more ideas to keep your children actively reading this summer? Check out this list from the American Library Association, which is structured by grade level.
If you are looking to find summer camps or programs that encourage reading over the summer, here are a few to consider:
- Curiosity Cruiser, a mobile library on wheels that visits communities around Houston with free books for children. The initiative is courtesy of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation and Harris County Public Library.
- HYPE Freedom School offers a summer literacy program.
- Children’s Museum Houston’s Camp Adventure is a free program for children who attend HISD Title One elementary schools.
- Fort Bend County Library’s Summer Reading Challenge offers prizes for young readers over the summer
- Houston Public Library’s GET LIT! Summer Literacy Program for children in grades K-5, free tutoring and workshops to promote reading comprehension, vocabulary, phonics and more
Parents who grew up in the 1980s and ‘90s may have a nostalgic soft spot for Pizza Hut’s Book It! program where reading books had the potential to earn you a free personal pan pizza. Did you know that the program still exists? Get your little reader enrolled for free here.
KPRC 2 and our Community partners at Energy Transfer, Houston Christian University and Exclusive Furniture showcase a different nonprofit organization(s) each month offering Houstonians a helping hand. Children’s Literacy is the KPRC 2 Community spotlight for June 2024.