MONTANA CITY — On Tuesday, May 10, North Jefferson County Libraries hosted a “summer kickoff” party at the Montana City Fire Hall to promote their summer reading program to ensure students stay on track for the 2022-23 school year.
"What our goal is is to have kids practicing their literacy skills and their math skills and drawing skills and writing skills over the course of summer so that they don't lose those, and it is been proven that kids who participate in the summer reading program return school more prepared," said North Jefferson Libraries Director Carly Delsigne.
According to the Northwest Evaluation Association, 3rd to 5th graders lose 20 percent of their reading capability during the summer.
Delsigne says they hope to retain more children in their summer reading program.
"Before COVID, we typically had about 300 kids participate in the program last year. In the year before, it was about half that we had about 150, so we're hoping to be back to full strength and 200 to 300 kids this year,"
Delsigne says the summer kickoff party also allows families to find opportunities to keep kids learning throughout the summer, from Exploration Works to Montana Learning Center.
"We've got a lot of community members that have a lot to offer, and as we have more and more new people into the area, this is also an opportunity for them to learn about the place they're moving to here," said Delsigne.
You can find out how to sign up for the summer reading program here.
