Summer reading can be the key to academic success for your children. How can you get your kids excited about books during vacation?
By Denise Trowbridge, New Orleans CityLife, June 2004

The last school bell is about to ring, heralding the beginning of summer vacation for thousands of area children. Families are now gearing up for three months packed with summer camps, swimming and vacations. But between the pool and the play dates, there is a danger lurking — the "summer slide."

Summer slide is the loss of a child’s reading skills during summer vacation. Even though parents are anxious to give their children a well-deserved break and kids are thrilled to be free of the specter of homework, June, July and August are actually an integral part of a youngster’s education — what they do and don’t do during the summer months can affect their academic performance for the rest of their academic career.

But exactly how important is it for busy parents to tote a book to the beach and spend extra time reading with their children during the summer break?

The statistics are sobering. According to the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, children who do not read regularly during summer vacation lose between one and three months of reading skill each year. By the end of the fifth grade, this can add up to almost two years of loss — meaning by middle school, a child who doesn’t read during the summer is likely to read one to two grade levels below his or her peers. And once they are behind, it is hard to catch up.

On the other hand, children who read regularly during the summer months excel. "Kids who read during vacation return to school with a higher reading level than they had at the beginning of the summer," says Burke McFerrin, the program coordinator for the Jefferson Parish public library and a former children’s librarian. "It makes sense, but a lot of parents don’t think about it. They want their kids to have some time off from school and don’t realize that it can be detrimental."

Parents shouldn’t underestimate the value of summer educational enrichment because the reading skills their children acquire now translate into opportunity later; they open the doors to technology, to learning and to academia. "Reading is the basis of all education, and the basis of everything that we do everyday," says McFerrin, noting that reading proficiency also translates into math and science skills. "Your child won’t grow up to be a doctor or a lawyer if he or she can’t read well."

Luckily, there are plenty of resources designed to help New Orleans parents keep their kids reading — and learning — all summer long.

Getting the Reading Bug
Louisiana’s public libraries are infested with insects. Caterpillars, ladybugs, bees and butterflies are everywhere — on posters, bookmarks and, of course, on the pages of books about bugs.
On Saturday, May 22 thousands of New Orleans children lined up at libraries citywide to sign up for the summer reading program.

This year’s theme is Buggy About Books, and librarians are hoping the free bug erasers and pencils, frequent visits to branch libraries by the Aqua Van — a traveling petting zoo of live millipedes, tarantulas and iguanas — as well as performances by magicians and puppeteers, will not only teach youngsters a thing or two about creepy crawlers, but also show them that reading can be fun.

"The idea is that you win prizes for reading," McFerrin says. "Of course, reading is it’s own reward, but the prizes really get the kids excited and make them feel like they are earning something. They also learn a little bit about whatever the theme is throughout the summer."

To successfully complete the program, children must read either eight books or 800 pages before mid-August. Those who do receive freebies such as New Orleans Zephyrs tickets, merit certificates and coupons for free skating at area roller rinks. Statewide, 90,000 children participated in library-sponsored summer reading programs last year.

But with guest appearances by Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks and trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, a circus skills workshop courtesy of the New Orleans School of Circus Arts and frequent visits from storytellers and musicians, it may seem that the summer reading program is emphasizing fun more than books.

"We present performers who spark curiosity and encourage the kids to check out a book to learn more about a subject or a skill," says David Winkler-Schmit, the coordinator of children and youth services at the New Orleans public library. "For example, when a magician spurs children to check out a book on how to do magic tricks, this not only teaches reading, but also shows kids how to translate what they have read into action."

"Really we are tricking the kids into reading," McFerrin says with a smile. It seems to be working. Last year, the Jefferson Parish Library hosted a magic show to commemorate Harry Houdini’s death. "We set up a display of magic books and by the end of the show, every single one of them was checked out."

The real "magic" of summer reading is that children have the chance to pursue any topic they want to during the summer, an opportunity they may not have at school — where the focus is assigned texts and testing — or at home. Whether they read the latest installment of the Harry Potter series or make a craft project, "it’s a chance for children to explore their interests through books, whether it’s hobbies or fiction," Winkler-Schmit says. "It’s also an opportunity for them to stretch their legs and try reading books that may have seemed too hard during the school year. They can really go for it because there’s no pressure — they aren’t being tested on it."

"When they get to choose the books they read," McFerrin says, "it makes reading seem more like fun than work. That’s the key to raising readers."


Help for Reluctant Readers

For children who may have fallen behind in school, summer vacation is a valuable opportunity to get much-needed help. "If a child misses one or two concepts and the rest of the class keeps moving on, until that child gets help, everything he or she learns is being built on a cracked foundation," says Diana Flowers, an education coordinator for the New Orleans Catholic Charities. "Reading is like a building process; if your child doesn’t understand the basics, he or she is not going to be able to fully comprehend more advanced levels."

With individual help, these students can move forward.
"Summer vacation is the perfect time for these kids to catch up," says Sal Cusanza, the owner of Sylvan Learning Center in Metairie. "Struggling students can make tremendous progress in the summer and make up a lot of ground."

Sylvan Learning Center, which was founded in 1979 to provide personalized instruction to students of all ages and has 950 locations throughout the United States, specializes in year-long as well as summer catch-up sessions in reading, English, mathematics and study skills. There are seven centers in the New Orleans area, each offering a series of one-on-one tutoring programs designed to fit the needs of individual students. "Every student is tested so we can develop a program that is tailored to address their skill gaps, whatever they may be," Cusanza says. "The curriculum then grows and changes as the student progresses."

The beginning reading program is designed to beef up phonics, word recognition and comprehension skills. The summer study skills workshop teaches the finer points of note and test taking, while the speed reading class focuses on increasing speed while enhancing comprehension. "Our focus is mastery of learning," Cusanza says. "Our tutors teach each child the skills needed to progress, and we only teach them what they don’t already know."

That way, he says, kids aren’t lagging behind when school starts — instead, they are on equal footing with their classmates and are prepared to do well.

Summertime, however, is not only for those children who need to catch up — for good students, it can be a time to keep up as well as move ahead. "I’ve heard so many parents say, ‘my child is an A student and needs a break,’" says Coral Robinson, the director of education services for the Summer Witness program, an enrichment camp for 3 to 12 year olds hosted by the Catholic Charities of New Orleans. She’s also a former elementary school teacher. "But why stop the child when they can continue to excel? With a little bit of effort during the summer, those students can walk into the next school year well prepared and ready to move ahead."

"If your child reads as few as four books during the break, they’ll maintain their skills, " Winkler-Schmit says. "They’ll go back to school ready to learn and they won’t need any remedial work or review."

How to Raise a Reader

Everybody loves a good story. At least, that’s what Patricia Austin, a children’s literature professor in the School of Education at the University of New Orleans, says.

Austin has some simple tips for parents who want to help their children grow into proficient readers. The cardinal rule, she says, is to incorporate books and reading into everyday life. "Children learn what they see. If they see you reading, they are going to read because they will grow up thinking of it is an everyday activity. Reading then becomes a normal thing in their lives," she says. " If you like to read, your kids will naturally follow."

Books also have to be easily accessible — at home as well as in the library. "If you aren’t quite sure what books your children should be reading, librarians can help you match your kids with books based on their interests, " Austin says. "It’s also crucial to let the child choose most of the material they read."

Parents need to realize that the literary universe does not just revolve around fiction, too. A newspaper, a comic book or a book of jokes is just as valuable. "Boys especially prefer to read nonfiction."

An ideal home reading setting, she says, involves two types of reading — self-directed and reading together.

"Many parents stop reading to their children as soon as they are old enough to read on their own. That’s not always a good idea," she says. "If you continue to read to them, they’re more likely to stretch to materials that are a little bit beyond their skill level. It’s also great bonding time between parents and children."