Sen. Helming Announces “A Universe of Stories” Summer Reading Program

GENEVA – Senator Pam Helming today announced that she is partnering with local public libraries to support our school-age children and prevent summer setback through the New York State Senate’s Summer Reading Program. Stopping summer setback – the loss in skills that children can experience when they are not in school during summer vacation – makes summer reading programs crucial to children’s academic success throughout their school years.

Parents, guardians, or children can visit helming.nysenate.gov and click on Senator Helming’s Summer Reading Program at the top of the page. Here, people can submit the titles of three books that their children read throughout the summer. Children who keep track of their reading progress and complete the program will receive a Summer Reading Certificate.

“Reading over summer vacation is a fun activity for the entire family to enjoy. Whether it’s discovering something new in a nonfiction book or getting lost in the storyline of a novel, reading is beneficial for people of all ages. For our schoolchildren, continuing a routine reading program during breaks allows them to maintain and improve the reading skills they mastered during the school year. My Summer Reading Program encourages students to continue reading and learning and rewards those who read at least three books with a Certificate of Achievement. Summer break is also an opportune time to check out the library. If you have not visited a library in a while, you are in for a pleasant surprise. Our public libraries offer a variety of programs, services, and many of the latest technologies that are free to people of all ages and interests. I am proud to partner with our local libraries on this Summer Reading Program. I encourage everyone – but especially our children – to take part in this program and visit their local libraries,” Senator Helming said.

The State Senate’s Summer Reading Program, hosted along with the New York State Library, this year carries the theme of “A Universe of Stories” to encourage children to visit their local library in the summertime and take advantage of the programming, materials, and activities that are a core part of every library’s offerings year-round. For many families with children, their local library is the only community space available during the summer months where they can access free educational and cultural enrichment activities and programs.

Children who do not read over the summer when they are out of school face, on average, a three-month decline in reading achievement. That can add up to a two-year gap in learning by the time they reach middle school. Meanwhile, children who read as few as six books during their summer vacation maintain the reading skills they acquired during the past school year. By reading as many as 10 to 20 books, they can actually increase their reading abilities.