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Registration is now open for a shared summer reading program that will reach military families on bases and installations around the globe. U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz readers of all ages can dig into a menagerie of book choices around the theme “Paws to Read.”
The program will run six weeks long with open enrollment running through July. Activities will range by location and will also include special programs for children in the garrison’s child development centers and the school-age centers.
“Last summer the global program set a new reading record: 14.6 million minutes spent reading. USAG-RP libraries registered 737 readers, which is an increase over the previous year. Each year the program is making a bigger impact on families’ lives,” said Shawn Friend-Begin, USAG-RP library director. “We hope people will really sink their teeth into this year’s program and fetch more books than ever before.”
Decades of research shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer. Summer reading programs can help to offset this loss, because studies also indicate students who read recreationally out-performed those who don’t. Students read more when they can choose materials based on their own interests.
Without summer reading intervention, the National Summer Learning Association reports it is common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer.
“We make sure reading is fun for children and families, but we also know it is a seriously important program for supporting brain development, student achievement and learning over a lifetime,” Friend-Begin said. “USAG-RP libraries will again offer summer reading programs for infants through adults, to include programming to complement the theme for all ages.”
Sponsored by the Department of Defense with program content developed by iREAD, “Paws to Read” will reach thousands of families. Resource guides and animal-themed materials and activities to support the initiative were developed by librarians for librarians to motivate children to read. This year marks the fifth year in which nearly 200 base and installation libraries will participate in the summer reading program.
For more information, call Nilya Carrato at 202-433-0785 or email dodsumread@navy.mil.
