June 5, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Summer Reading Program
Offers Learning and Fun
BENTON, KY – It’s summer. Most parents are thinking about vacations, picnics, and trips to the pool, but according to many experts, what they really should be thinking about is how to keep their child’s mind engaged over the summer months.
According to the National Summer Learning Association, students can lose up to 22% of the previous year’s education over the summer months. This effect is known as “summer slide” and is caused by a lack of educational stimulation during the months of summer vacation. According to researchers, one of the most effective ways of reducing summer slide is by participating in a summer reading program.
“Studies have shown that reading just six books over the summer can help children stay on track,” says Hayley Fountain, Children’s Librarian at the Marshall County Public Library @Calvert City. “With less than one book per week, they can begin the new school year where they need to be in terms of reading skills.”
To encourage reading over the summer, the Marshall County Public Library offers two different summer reading programs, one for students who attended elementary school during the previous school year, and another for students who were enrolled in middle or high school. Each program offers a reading challenge, complete with prize incentives. In addition to the reading challenge, a variety of programs will be offered throughout the summer.
“We have some great performers lined up this year,” says Trish Freeland, Children’s Librarian at the @Hardin branch. “Science experts are coming from the Adventure Science Center in Nashville and the Kentucky Science Center in Louisville along with some well-known favorites like Mr. Bond, Science Guy, and Jason Lindsey’s Hooked on Science program.”
The Marshall County Public Library Summer Reading Program is open and free to all students who have completed grades K-12. To sign up, visit your local branch of the Marshall County Public Library. A complete schedule of programs can be found on the library’s website at www.marshallcolibrary.org.