Celebrate National Summer Learning Day Today with Alexandria Library!

Celebrate National Summer Learning Day with Alexandria Library! 

As the official day of summer begins today, June 21, Alexandria Library will celebrate National Summer Learning Day, which encourages children’s academic development, safety and health during the summer months. This national advocacy day, sponsored by John Hopkins’ National Summer Learning Association, is a nod to the institution’s pivotal findings over the past decade that found that children who do not read over the summer are at risk of experiencing a decline in their reading and math levels, also known as a “learning loss."

To kick off National Summer Learning Day, the Charles E. Beatley Library will host, Fruit Salad Fun, a program that will teach children the plant origins of the fruits and granola in the salad, followed by the opportunity for the children to create their own salad to enjoy.

“As a former youth services librarian, I understand that summer reading plays an important role in a child's overall academic growth for the entire year," said Alexandria Library's Director, Rose T. Dawson. “Last year, the Alexandria Library provided training from the National Summer Learning Association for all of our youth services librarians and school media specialists on the value of summer reading programs and the importance of evaluating these programs."

Alexandria Library recognizes the risk of “learning loss,” and will continue its summer reading program, SummerQuest to help keep children’s minds engaged. This year, the Dig Into Reading theme includes a variety of children’s performers who will entertain with storytelling, music, science, magic and more. The program also offers prizes and incentives for children between 6 and 12 years old who read 10 books or more. The Library’s SummerQuest programming, which began in 1983, was developed for children ages 0 through 17.

To find out more about the importance of summer learning and spreading the word about National Summer Learning Day, visit the Ways to Celebrate webpage.