The New York Public Library To Give Away More Than 60,000 Summer Book Kits To NYC Families Beginning July 12

Press release from New York Public Library:

July 11, 2021

JULY 11, 2021—The New York Public Library is giving a gift to the families of New York City this summer: 60,000 bags filled with books, activities, Play-Doh, stress balls, and more to keep kids and teens engaged over the summer months.

The “Summer Book Kits” will be available while supplies last at all NYPL branch locations beginning on Monday, July 12 (NYPL serves the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island). To ensure as many families as possible get access to the kits, they are limited to one kit per child.

There are six different kits, tailored to kids of different ages:

• Babies and Toddlers (Early Literacy): Includes a special NYPL tote bag containing NYPL’s ABC Read with Me in NYC board book, and a bilingual early literacy tip sheet for caregivers.
• Pre-K through 1st Grade: Includes a red drawstring bag containing two free books to take home and keep, NYPL’s Summer Learning 2021 welcome kit, and the NYPL After School Activity Guide for Grades K–3 (28 pages, English/Español).
• 2nd and 3rd Grade: Includes a red drawstring bag containing two free books to take home and keep, NYPL’s Summer Learning 2021 welcome kit, and the NYPL After School Activity Guide for Grades K–3 (28 pages, English/Español).
• 4th and 5th Grade: Includes a red drawstring bag containing one free book to take home and keep, NYPL’s Summer Learning 2021 welcome kit, and the NYPL After School Activity Guide for Grades 4–6 (16 pages).
• Middle School: Includes a red drawstring bag containing one free book to take home and keep, a special NYPL bookmark, one container of Play-Doh, and a stress ball.
• High School: Includes a red drawstring bag containing one free book to take home and keep, a special NYPL bookmark, one pot of Play-Doh, and a stress ball.

The goal of the giveaway is to keep kids and teens engaged with fun educational activities over the summer. For kids, this is critical, as they are susceptible to “summer slide,” or the loss of knowledge gained over the school year while they are out of the classroom. For teens, it is important for the Library to offer tools they can use at home to help them cope, destress, and recharge following a difficult period of isolation and change.

In addition to the kit giveaway, the Library is also offering a wide range of activities to support families this summer—including virtual summer camp, a Summer Learning reading challenge, take-home activities, and other programs. For information on all of the Library’s summer offerings for New York City families, visit nypl.org/summer.

“The Library has always played a critical role in the lives of New York City families over the summer, and this year, it feels even more important, as students went through unprecedented change and challenge,” said Emily Nichols, NYPL’s Associate Director of Children’s Services. “We need to make sure we’re using our expertise to support them, including and especially families on the wrong side of the digital divide, who can’t access e-books or web-based learning programs. To give them books and activities to take home is so important, and we hope to see as many families as possible in our branches.”

“Teens are encouraged to visit the Library to Read & Recharge this summer,” said Caitlyn Colman-McGaw, the Library’s manager of Young Adult Education Programming. “We're thrilled to have young people back to reconnect with their community, their peers, and the many resources of the Library in a safe, welcoming space. Teens can learn more about opportunities available to them by following their local branch on social media.”

The New York Public Library reopened all of its remaining locations to near pre-pandemic service on Tuesday, July 6. The system had been reopening in phases and operating with partial service since July 2020 following a temporary closure of physical locations in March 2020 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

“We’re so happy to be serving the people of New York City in-person again,” Nichols said. “This moment has been a long time coming. We hope families visit their local branches, say hello to the librarians who missed them, pick up their kits, and maybe check out a few other books, too. Libraries have so much to offer, and we look forward to serving our communities all summer and beyond.”

This press release was produced by New York Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.