The Reid-Thompson public library has received a donation from the Humboldt co-op. Totaling $3,500 to put towards the summer reading program.
The TD Summer Reading Program has been around for many years and has become the most popular annual program offered by the library. In 2023 there was a 43% increase in the number of children with 65% more books being recorded as read. Kate Lucyshyn, the Branch Librarian, reported “the money from the Co-op will be great because it stretched our resources thin when we had that many kids showing up for things and this will allow us to hopefully reach more.”
The TD Summer Reading Program is important as it is designed to help prevent summer slide, which is the tendency for students to lose some of the gains they made during the school year. The summer reading program aims to help prevent, or reduce, the effects of summer slide by promoting reading to strengthen students' vocabulary, fluency, reading comprehension, and to promote a love for reading. The program does not solely focus on literacy as it also offers fun learning and socialization opportunities such as scavenger hunts and games in the park. The library aims to eliminate barriers by making the program free of charge.
This is where the funds from the Co-op come in as it enables the program to engage with even more youth without taking away from what the program would offer. Allowing it to continue to offer an amazing learning experience for the children that will enrich and benefit the community.